


All In

by Nikka001



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Abby Griffin Being an Asshole, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad Parent Abby Griffin, Big Brother John Murphy, Clarke Griffin & John Murphy Friendship, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Good Step-Parent Marcus Kane, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Josephine Lightbourne is an asshole, Light Angst, Other, Pregnancy, Protective John Murphy, Sibling dynamic, Teen Angst, Teen Pregnancy, Teen Romance, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:08:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 32,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24413353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nikka001/pseuds/Nikka001
Summary: This wasn't the plan. None of this is how she saw things going.-She can’t even remember the last time she felt so scared. It all happened so fast. In the course of a short three minutes, her life was over.
Relationships: Abby Griffin/Marcus Kane (mentioned), Bellamy Blake & Clarke Griffin, Bellamy Blake & John Murphy, Bellamy Blake & Octavia Blake, Bellamy Blake & Raven Reyes, Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Clarke Griffin & John Murphy, Clarke Griffin & Lexa, Emori & Clarke Griffin & Harper McIntyre, Emori/John Murphy (The 100), Eventual Raven Reyes/Miles Ezekiel Shaw, Finn Collins/Raven Reyes, Lexa/Original Female Character, Monty Green/Harper McIntyre, Octavia Blake & Clarke Griffin & Raven Reyes, Octavia Blake/Lincoln
Comments: 26
Kudos: 172





	1. A Startling Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> So, let me start out by saying that I started this story sometime last year. I'm not really sure when, but I know it was last year. I was doing a Bellarke Bingo and two of my squares were, "Fake Relationship" and "High School AU". So, being me, I decided to put those two together for a story. 
> 
> That's where this story idea came into play. It just worked. And now, here we are. 
> 
> Let me just say that first, it's taken me a while to come up with all the chapters but now they're all done, and second, this story happens to be the only story that I have written completely to the end. No stopping halfway through out of boredom. It's all done. I'm so proud of this fact. I've never been so motivated to finish a story in my life. I just hope you all enjoy it. 
> 
> With that said, I'd like to send a big shoutout and thank you to my sister Jellybean96 for reading through each chapter and helping me when I was stuck. Without her, this story probably never would've been written. 
> 
> And now, on to the story!
> 
> -Annika

* * *

She doesn’t remember much about the moments leading up to the discovery. Honestly, she doesn’t remember much about anything that’s happened over the last week. It’s all a big blur of people and things wrapped up in a flurry of emotions. She can’t even remember the last time she felt so scared. It all happened so fast. In the course of a short three minutes, her life was over. 

Her hands shake as she stares down at the small plastic stick. The pink plus sign seems to be taunting her as her eyes fill with tears. She squeezes her eyes shut tight and wills for it to disappear. When she opens them again and sees that despite her efforts it still remains, she lets a scared, quiet sob escape her lips. She stays that way, huddled in the bathroom stall until the school bell rings, signaling the end of fifth period. 

Sniffling in as deep a breath as she can manage, Clarke quickly wraps the stick up in toilet paper and shoves it down low into her book bag. With trembling fingers, she unlocks the stall door and steps out into the tile-covered room and heads straight for the sinks.

She barely finishes rinsing the soap off her hands when the bathroom door swings open. She freezes and says nothing as the young girl drops her bag onto the ground and runs to the nearest stall. Clarke doesn’t wait for a second longer before wiping her hands on her jeans and rushing out the door into the sea of students on their way to their final class of the day. 

Pressing herself up against the wall, she waits for a break in the group and then jumps in, eager to try and forget for just a moment how her life is over.

***

The sound of knuckles knocking on the front door stirs Bellamy from his long-overdue nap. Grumbling at being awoken earlier than he’d like, he pushes himself up from the comfort of his couch and, rubbing at his sleep-deprived eyes, trudges across the room to the front door. 

Now, it’s safe to say that the last thing Bellamy Blake expected to see on his front porch at two in the morning, was a sniffling Clarke Griffin. He eyes her curiously, making sure to take a mental note of the state she’s in. She’s soaked from head to toe; which, given the weather the last few days, isn’t that big of a surprise. What is a surprise, however, is that he can clearly tell that she had been crying. Her eyes are red and puffy and the light mascara she normally wears is streaked down her cheeks.

“Hey, Clarke. Uh, Octavia’s not here. She stayed over at Harper’s tonight even though it’s a school night.”

Clarke sniffles. “Yeah. I know. I was actually just hoping I could stay here tonight? I understand if you don’t want me to but I can’t go back home right now and I really don’t feel like sleeping in my car.”

Bellamy scratches at the back of his neck while taking a quick glance at the mess of a room behind him. He wants to tell her no. He wants to apologize and say that it isn’t a good time because he hasn’t had a chance to clean the house yet. When he turns back to her though, that’s not what comes out.

“Come on in.”

She smiles at him; a small, thankful smile that falls from her face almost instantaneously when she crosses the threshold into the house. She keeps her head down and fidgets with the worn edge of her sweater while she waits for Bellamy to secure the deadbolt on the door. 

When he turns to her, they lock eyes instantly and he can’t help but notice the way her bright blue eyes seem to have faded to something almost gray like. It’s strange to see her like this; so vulnerable and broken. Something has changed, and he'll never admit it, but he’s scared to know what.

Time stretches on in uncomfortable silence as they stand together in the middle of the room, neither of them willing to start the conversation. It isn’t until he hears her sniffle that he glances up to find her shivering and in tears. He doesn’t even think twice before he closes the distance between them and pulls her close, wrapping her in his arms. He holds her like that, not saying a word, just holding her close to him; afraid of what might happen if he were to let go. 

“Look, I know you probably don’t want to talk about it. And that’s okay. You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he whispers into her ear while her head stays tucked securely into his neck. “I just, I want you to know that whenever you’re ready to talk about it, I’m here. You can stay for as long as you like. No questions asked.”

***

Bellamy can’t sleep. Once he’s awake, there’s no way he’ll be able to get back to sleep. Then again, it isn’t like he’d be able to sleep anyways knowing that something is wrong with Clarke. It doesn’t help matters that she’s sleeping curled up only a few feet away from him on the living room couch. He had insisted that she take his bed but of course, she had refused. So, there he is at almost six in the morning, with his legs propped up on the coffee table trying hard to keep his mind from drifting. He promised her that he wouldn’t ask any questions; a promise that he intended to keep, but she did say that she would tell him everything in the morning after she’d slept.

“Bellamy?”

Lifting his head he finds Clarke staring at him, eyes wide and full of something he can’t quite put his finger on. Her hair is messed up on all sides and there’s a reddish mark on her right cheek from where it was smooshed up against the arm of the couch. 

“Hey. How’d you sleep?” he asks as he sits forward in the armchair that served as his bed for the night.

Clarke rubs at her eyes. “Good, thanks. Would it be okay if I used your shower? School starts in a little bit and I don’t wanna go looking all gross.”

Bellamy chuckles. “Don’t worry about it. I washed and dried your clothes from earlier. They’re on the counter in the bathroom.”

“Thanks, Bell.” With that, Clarke is off to the bathroom, her bare feet padding across the hardwood in the hallway. 

Dragging a hand across his face, Bellamy waits to hear the door shut before getting up and heading to the kitchen. Despite his previous failures in the kitchen, and there are many, he’s determined to make them breakfast.

He’s halfway through spraying a pan with Pam when the front door swings open and his younger sister comes shuffling inside. He watches her in silence as she slowly closes the door and locks it. She moves to the bottom of the stairs and barely makes it to the second step when Bellamy clears his throat, catching her completely off guard. 

Plastering on a fake smile, Octavia spins around to face Bellamy. “Hey, big bro. What’s up?”

Bellamy crosses his arms and gives her a look. “O, maybe if you don’t want to do the walk of shame, you should tell Lincoln to start bringing you home at a decent hour.”

“I wasn’t with—”

“Yes. You were. Harper called. Apparently, you left your bag at her place when you went out with Lincoln.”

Octavia cringes. “Dammit.”

“Yeah. Next time, try to remember all your belongings so your friend doesn’t have to rat you out, okay?”

“Oh, um, okay.”

Bellamy turns back to the stove, sets the pan down on the burner and turns it on. “We’re leaving at 6:30 so go get dressed.”

Turning on her heel, Octavia scrambles up the stairs and into her bedroom, slamming the door closed behind her. 

Bellamy shakes his head at his little sister, not quite sure how he’s going to manage her next two years of high school all by himself. He knows that he’s going to come close to running himself into the ground.

Reaching into the fridge next to him, Bellamy withdraws the bag of bacon and a carton of eggs from the top shelf. He peels four strips of bacon from the package and drops them onto the pan. Letting them sizzle for a few moments, he carefully cracks four eggs into a bowl and quickly scrambles them up before pouring them onto the pan next to the frying bacon. 

It isn’t long before the food is done and he’s separating it onto two plates he pulled out of the cupboard. He makes sure the stove is turned off and then carries both plates over to the small dining room table. He returns to the kitchen briefly to grab two cups and fill them with orange juice.

“Bellamy?”

Looking up as he sets the cups down on the table, he catches Clarke’s eyes from where she stands in the doorway, a smile spreading across his face. “Clarke, hey. You still like eggs, right? Because that’s really all we have right now. I haven’t exactly had a chance to go grocery shopping yet.”

Clarke smiles back. “Yeah, I uh, I still like eggs.”

“Good, good. I’m glad.”

They stand awkwardly staring at one another before Clarke makes the first move and takes a seat in front of one of the plates at the table. Taking a seat beside her, Bellamy digs in, not quite noticing when Clarke doesn’t touch hers. She’s still pushing her food around the plate when Bellamy gets up to place his dish in the sink.

Bellamy eyes her curiously as she continues to ignore the food in front of her. Her hair is still damp from her shower and continues to drip onto the back of her shirt, forming little wet spots along the collar. There’s something different about her now. Something in the way she holds herself and the way she speaks. It’s almost like she’s trying so hard to not break into pieces.

He turns his gaze to a spot on the floor, thinking back to not even two years ago when he and Octavia were just as fragile. It’s hard to think of those moments without wanting to break down and cry or just scream until there’s nothing left to scream about.

“Can we talk now?”

Bellamy looks up when Clarke’s voice interrupts his thoughts and clears his throat. She’s now standing in front of him with her plate still full of food and her cup halfway empty. He nods in response and takes the dishes from her to place in the sink along with his own.

“I did something really, really stupid and now I don’t know what to do and I’m freaking out,” her voice is quiet and shaking as she speaks.

Bellamy whirls around and finds Clarke shifting her weight back and forth between her feet and twisting her hands together in front of her. She’s nervous about their conversation, he can tell.

“Clarke,” he speaks, careful not to let his voice get too loud for fear of scaring her away from finally opening up to him. “I promise that whatever you did is not actually as bad as you—”

“I’m pregnant.”

Well, shit.


	2. Our Crazy New Life

It’s safe to say that the rest of their day is a bit on the crazy side. 

Quickly following Clarke’s sudden admission of her predicament and Bellamy’s lack of response, they’re graced with the youngest Blake’s presence when Octavia comes bounding down the stairs into the kitchen. She greets her best friend with a smile and pulls her into a hug before stepping around her to pour herself a bowl of cereal.

She’s halfway through her breakfast when Clarke breaks the news to her, wincing when Octavia starts sputtering and coughing on her spoonful of Cheerios. The looks she receives from the younger girl are nothing short of surprised and confused. 

Octavia glances back and forth between Clarke and Bellamy, her eyes narrowing thinly at the two of them and then widening again. “Wait. Did you two—did it finally happen?”

Bellamy’s eyes go wide and he motions at his sister to stop talking. “No, O. Stop. It’s not like that. Clarke and I didn’t—”

“The baby isn’t your brother’s,” Clarke tells her, cutting Bellamy off. 

Octavia lets out a sigh, her body slumping forward just slightly. “Well, that’s good.”

Bellamy and Clarke both raise a brow. “It is?” they ask at the same time. 

Octavia nods, scooping more Cheerios into her mouth. “Yeah. Because now I don’t owe Murphy twenty bucks.”

“You bet on us?” Bellamy asks in disbelief. 

His sister waves him off, rolling her eyes as she swallows her food. “Please, Bell. Everyone in the school thinks you’re together at some point. Always takes a lot out of us to convince them that you’re not.”

Clarke waves her hands at the siblings. “Whatever. That’s not important right now, okay? The baby isn’t Bellamy’s.”

“Well then, whose is it?” Octavia leans forward in her chair and furrows her brow at Clarke.

“It’s Finn’s.”

Both the Blake siblings audibly gasp but only Bellamy offers a verbal reaction, “Finn. As in, Finn Collins? The one dating Raven.”

Her lips pull in tight. “The one and only.”

“Clarke…”

“Don’t give me that look Bell, okay? They were broken up when I slept with him. It was a one-time thing and believe me, I hate that it even happened.”

“Hold up.” Clarke turns to Octavia who has now taken to sitting atop the kitchen table, much to her brother's dismay. “Does he even know you’re pregnant?”

Clarke’s gaze shifts from one sibling to the other and then down to the tiled kitchen floor. She kicks her sock-covered feet back and forth against a section of raised tile beneath her toes. She hears movement and can see Bellamy’s feet approaching her out of the corner of her eye. He places a hand on her arm prompting her to look up at him, her eyes filling with tears once again. 

“Clarke,” he starts softly, “you did tell him, didn’t you?”

And just like that, the dam inside her breaks. Bellamy reacts fast and holds his ground when Clarke collapses into his arms, her tiny frame wracking with sobs. He holds her close, one arm around her waist to support her body and the other cradling her head. 

That morning, the three of them are the latest they’ve ever been to school. 

After the tears had subsided and she was more coherent, Clarke had followed Octavia upstairs so that the younger girl could help freshen her up. It had taken almost an hour before Octavia had given the okay for Clarke to leave the house. Bellamy grumbled something about missing an important lecture for his history class as he ushered them out to the car but eventually dropped the issue once they started driving.

And, if Octavia had noticed the way Bellamy and Clarke walked closer together than normal on their way into the building, well then, she said nothing. 

***

_ ‘And in other news, today is the last day to submit theme ideas for Homecoming. Seems like ASB is doing things a little differently this year, letting the rest of the student body get in on the planning. There have been a bunch of submissions over the last week but there’s always room for more. If you’d like to offer up your idea, you can send it to  _ [ **_ArkadiaASB@gmail.com_ ** ](mailto:ArkadiaASB@gmail.com) _ or feel free to drop it off at Mr. Kane’s office at any point during the school day.  _

_ Well then, that’s all for now. This has been Wells Jaha and Jasper Jordan for your daily announcements. Live long and prosper, Aliens. See y’all tomorrow!’ _

“Man, why do we have to have Homecoming anyway? Homecoming is lame and boring. Actually, all school dances are lame and boring. I don’t understand why we have to have them.”

Bellamy smirks at his friend, though he isn’t paying much attention, too focused on scribbling in his notebook. “What’s wrong, Murphy? Not a big dancer? Guess you’re afraid Emori’s gonna make you, huh?”

“Hey.” Murphy points a finger aggressively at Bellamy, his face contorted into a nasty feature. “I don’t dance, alright? And I do not plan on starting anytime soon so screw you, Blake.”

Bellamy chuckles at Murphy’s obvious discomfort with the discussion and holds his hands up in surrender. Murphy grins in triumph before turning back around in his seat to face the front of the class where his girlfriend, Emori, stands ready for her presentation. He smiles up at her in support which she returns graciously.

Shaking his head at the two lovesick birdies, Bellamy focuses once again on the words he was scribbling along the lines of his notebook. He scribbles the writing as small as he can so that he can fit everything that’s in his mind onto the paper. This whole Clarke situation has been causing his brain to overload. He isn’t entirely sure what he can do except be there for her the best that he can. It’s all so much to deal with and he’s trying his hardest to figure out the best way to deal with it all.

Which is exactly what he’s trying to do right now. His mind is running through all the scenarios of the way that their situation could go. Some go very well while others, well they don’t have the happiest of outcomes. He’s jotting them down as fast as he can so he won’t forget any of them. 

Bellamy’s so focused on his task that he’s unaware of the teacher standing at the front of the room calling his name, or of the hand that Murphy taps repeatedly on his desk to get his attention. It isn’t until a kick to the back of his chair that Bellamy looks up annoyed. 

“Ah, Mr. Blake, glad you’ve finally decided to join our discussion.”

“Yeah, uh, sorry Indra. Won’t happen again.”

Indra lets a small smile escape; the only teacher in the school who encourages students to call her by her first name but is also extremely intimidating when she wants to be. “I hope it doesn’t. Now, can we get back to our class?”

Bellamy nods and waits for Indra to turn her attention back to the rest of the class before he slumps down in his chair. This is going to be a long class.

***

The school day comes to an end a lot faster than Clarke expected. She’s grateful, of course; she couldn’t handle having to see Raven and Finn draped all over each other every time she saw them. It was nauseating. Well, it was more nauseating than how every day made her feel in general. 

The tapping of knuckles on the closed bedroom door yanks Clarke from her daydreaming. Sitting up on her elbows from where she had been laying on her back on the guest bed, Clarke glances over at the numbers on the clock. She’s been there for three hours since school let out and all she could do once she got there was drown her sorrows in the package of Oreos that she’d found downstairs earlier. 

“Clarke, you awake?” It’s Bellamy on the other side of the door. 

Pushing herself up further into a sitting position, Clarke brushes the crumbs off of her chest and carefully hides the cookies in the little space underneath the nightstand.

“Yeah. Come on in.”

She watches as the doorknob turns and Bellamy lets himself inside, the door closing with a soft click behind him. He stands there awkwardly, not quite sure how to approach the situation at hand. Clarke eyes him curiously before scooting back on the bed some to give him room to sit beside her. 

Taking the hint, Bellamy approaches the bed and takes the seat next to her. “So there’s uh, there’s some extra blankets in the closet if you need them tonight. This room has always been the coldest. Oh, and we can repaint the walls if you want.”

“What?”

Bellamy gestures to the bland beige walls surrounding them. “The walls. They’re kind of plain. I figured over the weekend we could make a trip to Home Depot and you could pick something new out.”

“I don’t understand.” Clarke turns a little so she’s fully facing him, her brows furrowed in confusion. “Why would I repaint the walls?”

He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “Because it’s your room now. I thought maybe you’d want to make it a little bit more...you.”

“What do you mean it’s my room now? I thought this was your guest room.”

Bellamy nods, his eyes trained on the floor. “It was. But now it’s yours.” 

“Bellamy, I can't—” Clarke starts to protest but Bellamy doesn’t let her finish.

“Yes,” he says, finally looking up and locking eyes with her. His words are firm but his gaze soft. “You can. You said it yourself, your mom won’t let you back home. So, this is your home now too.”

She can feel the tears welling up in her eyes but does nothing to stop them. Instead, she does the only thing that comes to mind. She leans forward and wraps her arms around Bellamy, hugging him tightly and burying her face in the crook of his neck. 

She holds onto him for longer than either of them realize, only separating when Clarke lets out a soft yawn.

As gently as he can, Bellamy pries her arms open and helps her get situated underneath the covers. She’s asleep before her head even hits the pillow. He brushes a section of hair off her forehead and then leans in to press a soft kiss to her delicate skin. 

***

“She asleep?” 

Bellamy glances up from his position on the couch as Octavia enters the room and plops down on the cushion next to him. She tugs the edge of the blanket he’s using from underneath his leg and pulls it over herself, tucking in close to her brother’s side. 

“Yeah, she’s asleep.”

“So, what’s next, then?” Octavia asks as she snuggles in closer, her head resting gently on his shoulder.

Bellamy sighs. “Honestly O, I have no idea. I’m so used to Clarke being the one to make all the plans that I feel so lost without her telling me what to do.”

Octavia nods along. “I get that, but this is up to you now. You’re gonna need to help her through all of this. I mean, we’ll both help, of course, but I think she’s gonna need you way more than she’ll need me.”

“I hope you’re right.”

”Of course I am. I'm always right.”

Bellamy nudges her in the ribs and she nudges him right back before pulling her legs up and tucking them under the blanket. She’s asleep in seconds with Bellamy following soon after, the two siblings cuddled up with one another, just like they used to do when they were much younger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All thoughts and opinions are welcome! 
> 
> -Annika


	3. Wrong Place, Right Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So honestly, adding Murphy into this story was hands down my favorite part about writing it. I really hope you all enjoy his moments throughout the chapters. I know I do!
> 
> -Annika

* * *

“Clarke, are you feeling okay? You look a little pale.” 

Clarke clenches her teeth and closes her eyes tight, trying hard to fight back the wave of nausea that’s coming over her. All it took was one whiff of Josephine’s perfume during Anatomy to send her right over the edge. She had barely kept any food down that morning, and now she can barely stand the scent of Crisp Fall Mist. It’s beyond frustrating. Only eight weeks in and she’s already sick of being pregnant.

“Hey, Clarke, everything okay?” Harper places a hand on Clarke’s arm to try and get her attention. Clarke looks at her with pleading eyes before throwing a hand over her mouth, jumping from her chair, and making a beeline out the classroom door and straight for the bathroom. 

In seconds, Clarke has dropped to the grimy floor, her knees connecting hard with the tile and sending a jolt of pain up her body while she wretches into the toilet bowl. It isn’t as bad as it was that morning, but she still hates it. She hates feeling so vulnerable and soft, like anything big or small can just break her. It isn’t fair. 

When she’s sure that the most recent bout of morning sickness—though it’s more like all day sickness at this point—has finished, she sighs, sits back on her heels, and lays her head on top of her arm resting on the toilet seat.

“Clarke?”

Shit.

She sits up slowly and turns to find none other than John Murphy standing outside the stall. He has a confused expression on his face as he watches her. That confusion quickly morphs into the usual douchebag look he always sports. 

“You know, Clarke,” he speaks up, leaning a little against the frame of the stall, “if you wanted to catch me with my pants down, all you had to do was ask.”

Again, something that she’d normally roll her eyes at and make a snarky remark back at him completely sets her off. She chokes hard on a sob and then tears begin to stream down her face. She tries to hold them back but it’s no use. She truly no longer has control of her emotions and she hates it.

She can see the exact moment that Murphy’s face switches to one of sheer and utter panic. His eyes dart around the empty bathroom in hopes that something will clue him in to the situation unfolding in front of him. With no such luck, he sucks in a sharp breath and crouches low to the ground, his face level with Clarke’s.

“Hey look, I uh, I didn’t mean that alright. I was just messing with you, ya know, like we do.”

She cries out through the hand now covering her mouth with a hiccuping sob, more tears falling. 

Dragging a hand across his face, and really regretting downing that second bottle of water at lunch, Murphy sighs and reaches out a hand to Clarke. 

Hiccuping between sobs, Clarke stares at the aforementioned hand like she seems to be weighing her options. Finally making a decision, she accepts the hand and lets him help her to her feet. He holds her hands gently in his as she attempts to steady herself, her legs shaky as she does so. 

“If I let go, you gonna be okay to stand on your own?” he asks in a quiet voice, careful to not accidentally set her off again. 

She nods and he slowly releases his hold on her hands. He holds his hands out in front of her for a few seconds in case her legs give out. When he’s confident that she'll be secure on her own, he digs into his back pocket and withdraws a small black elastic hair tie. Holding it between two fingers, he moves to stand behind Clarke and sets to work twisting her hair into a thick messy French braid. 

Satisfied with his work, he secures the end and grabs Clark by her shoulders, turning her to face him. “Look, you don’t have to tell me what’s going on if you don’t want to, but I’m here if you do.”

Clarke shakes her head and picks at the ends of her sleeves. “It’s nothing Murphy. I’m fine.”

“Clarke.” He squeezes her shoulders lightly to get her to look up at him. “Don’t forget, I’ve known you since we were kids and I have a little sister. I know that when you girls say you’re fine, you’re not really fine. Especially you.”

She stares at him with wide eyes and a quivering lip, her brain running faster than she can handle. When she finally says the words, they’re so quiet he can barely hear them, but he does. Instead of reacting in words of his own, he silently pulls her into his arms and holds her tight.

“Just tell me what you need,” he whispers.

She hiccups. “Bellamy. I need Bellamy.”

***

Bellamy’s in class when his phone buzzes in his back pocket over and over again. It goes off three times before he finally relents and checks to see what the message says. 

_Murphy - 2nd floor boys bathroom by the library. Clarke needs you. Hurry._

Bellamy makes it to the bathroom faster than he knew possible, pushing open the door and stopping dead in his tracks when he sees Murphy sitting on the floor with his back against the wall and arms wrapped around Clarke. 

Murphy looks up when he hears the door open and locks eyes with Bellamy. They greet each other with a silent nod and in Bellamy’s case, a mere spark of jealousy when he realizes that Murphy is comforting Clarke.

“Clarke,” Bellamy’s voice is quiet when he says her name but she still hears him. 

She lifts her head from its spot resting on Murphy’s shoulder and turns her gaze to Bellamy standing a ways away from them. “You’re here.” She goes to stand but is stopped by Murphy’s hand on her shoulder holding her down.

“You stay.” He then turns to Bellamy with a pointed finger, gesturing to his spot on the floor. “You here. Your turn now.”

Bellamy obeys easily and switches places with Murphy who’s now standing by the sinks stretching his arms up over his head. Clarke nuzzles in closer to Bellamy, their fingers now intertwined and resting on Bellamy’s thigh. 

Murphy grins at his two friends and decides to leave them be, for the time being at least. He reaches out to pull the door open but stops and turns back around. 

“Oh, before I forget, class ends in about twenty minutes so you guys might want to find another place to talk about your situation. Just a heads up.” 

Giving them a two-finger salute, Murphy throws open the door and steps out into the deserted hallway while pulling his phone from his jacket pocket. As he walks towards his class, he shoots off a text to both Bellamy and Clarke reminding them of how much time they have. 

Reaching his classroom door, he glances back at the bathroom and hopes that whatever is going on with those two, they figure it out fast. 

  
***

_2 weeks earlier_

_The rain and wind hit harshly against her skin as she marches up the steps to the back door of the house. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she raises her fist and knocks against the metal grated screen door. It takes a few knocks, but soon the light inside flicks on, and the door swings open._

_Finn steps in to the light, his dark eyes squinting from the harsh winds. “Clarke? What are you doing here? It’s almost midnight.”_

_Clarke shivers from the cool breeze that blows against her frozen skin. She sniffles. “I know and I’m sorry. I just, I really need to talk to you.”_

_“Finn, who is it?”_

_He closes the door a little to keep someone from looking out and to also keep Clarke from looking in. Clarke doesn’t have to look inside though to know whose voice is coming from further inside the house. She’d be dumb not to recognize the voice._

_Finn ducks his head back inside and tries his best to keep his voice low. “It’s nothing Raven, just go back to bed. I’ll be there in a minute.”_

_Clarke can’t breathe. She tries to take a deep breath but she can’t. It only gets harder and harder the more she tries but still, she tries once more._

_“Look Clarke, I—”_

_“It’s fine,” Clarke bites out, maybe harder than she meant to but at the moment, she isn’t sorry at all. Not even a little. She struggles to maintain a basic expression but she knows the tears are already spilling down her face and mixing with the rain. “Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t important anyway. I’ll uh, I’ll see you at school, Finn.”_

_He opens his mouth to speak but she turns away before he can even get a word out. She doesn’t want to hear anything that he has to say. Not now._

_She can hear him calling after her as she walks away but she doesn’t care. Instead, she pulls her sweater tighter around her shivering body, gets back in her car and takes off down the muddy dirt road leading away from his house. Right now, at this moment, there is only one person that she wants to see. She just hopes he’s still awake._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave kudos and comments!
> 
> -Annika


	4. Are You Worth It?

* * *

They leave school early that day. Once Clarke had successfully collected herself, Bellamy had her wait down by the business office while he went to retrieve her things and pull Octavia from the rest of her classes. She didn’t really question it, being one to never turn down an opportunity to skip class.

It doesn’t take long before Bellamy is descending the staircase that he had disappeared up only moments ago, Octavia trailing behind him as fast as she can in the boots she chose to wear that day. Clarke's bag is gripped tight in his fist and her jacket is slung over his shoulder while his own bag is hanging off his other shoulder. 

Reaching the bottom step, he holds out his hand to her and she thinks nothing of it as she slips her hand into his and lets him lead both her and Octavia out of the building. Their fingers remain knitted together the whole ride home, only disconnecting when they have to go inside and he has to take off his jacket to hang it up by the front door. 

She stands there waiting for him, too nervous to walk away and be by herself. It scares him a little; the fact that the girl he once knew as being too stubborn to walk away from a fight, can barely manage a day at school without breaking down. 

He kicks off his boots and gently takes her hand back in his to lead her over to the couch. Dropping down onto the end of the couch, he tugs at her hand to join him. She hesitates for only a moment, her eyes darting around the room, before finally giving in. He scoots back into the arm of the couch to give her more room as she sits down next to him. Pulling her legs up underneath her and laying her head on his shoulder, she closes her eyes. 

“I know it won’t help much, but for what it’s worth, anyone who’s actively chosen to not be apart of this is an idiot,” he tries to keep his voice even but he knows he’s failing. When it comes to Clarke, he always has a hard time keeping his emotions in check.

He feels her shuffle in her spot as she snuggles in closer. “Bel—”

“I’m serious, Clarke. If they don’t want to be here for you, then don’t lose any sleep over it. They aren’t worth it.”

“Are you?”

He glances down at her. “What?”

She meets his eyes and holds the gaze long and hard. “Are you worth it?”

His breath hitches in his throat and he goes stiff. He isn’t sure what to say now. He has no idea how to answer her question and that terrifies him. What if he wasn’t worth it? What if he screws her over just like everybody else had? What if—

She places a warm hand on top of his where it rests on the couch beside her, drawing his gaze back to her. One look in her eyes and everything just melts away. All of his fears, worries, and doubts seem like just passing thoughts. It’s why they’re friends honestly. It’s why she’s been such a huge part of his life for as long as she has. He can’t imagine not having her close. 

It’s why he loves her.

“I love you, Clarke Griffin. I hope you know that.”

She smiles up at him, lips parted slightly and eyes glistening. “I love you too, Bellamy Blake.”

Smiling, Bellamy pulls Clarke close and leans down, pressing a kiss to her head. Her eyes flutter closed when he does, a new, comfortable warmth washing over her.

***

Clarke’s reaching twelve weeks now and things are starting to get strange. Not only is she constantly paranoid that she’s already beginning to show, but also her cravings are starting to get a little out of hand. 

Bellamy tries his hardest to appease even her strangest of cravings but there's only so much that one man can do alone. 

“Hey, you good?” 

Bellamy glances up from the book he’s reading upon hearing Clarke’s voice. She stands in the doorway to his bedroom, her feet bare and all that she’s wearing are a pair of black shorts and a baggy T-shirt. Which, suspiciously, seems to resemble a shirt he’d lost almost a week ago. Her hair is damp from the shower she’d just taken and hangs in loose strands around her face. 

He smiles at her and closes the book, making sure to replace his bookmark. “Yeah, I’m good. Why?”

She shrugs and quickly tears her eyes from his. “Oh I uh, I just noticed your door was still open and when I came to check, you just seemed a little out of it. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.” 

“Clarke,” he speaks softly but forcefully enough to make her look up at him, “what’s really going on?”

She bites her lip and tries to suppress the whimper that he undoubtedly hears. Tears prick at her eyes and she blinks a couple of times to try and keep them from escaping.

Her words are quiet but he still hears them. “I’m scared.”

Bellamy pushes himself up further on his bed to make room for Clarke to sit beside him. He pats the spot, which she takes graciously, and sits back to let her continue speaking. 

“I have my first ultrasound appointment set up for tomorrow afternoon and I’m freaking out. I mean, I know there’s really nothing to be scared of, but it’s the principle of the thing, you know?”

“I get it.”

She stops fiddling with a loose thread on his sheets to look him in the eyes. “You do?”

“Yeah. I mean, of course, I can’t understand completely, but I do get the principle of it. You already know you're pregnant and that’s fine. But the thought of going and having that actually confirmed by a doctor is terrifying. Because then that means that this is all actually happening.”

“Wow. That was actually...spot on. How do you do that?”

The corners of his mouth turn up slightly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Clarke sighs dramatically. “Oh come on, Bell, don’t play that with me. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Somehow, you seem to always know exactly what I’m thinking and feeling. It’s like you see me better than I see myself.”

Bellamy’s smirk fades into something less cocky, something more real. “Of course I see you, Clarke. I always see you.”

His heart is pounding in his chest when the words leave his lips. He hadn’t meant to actually say that out loud but of course when Clarke’s involved, his judgment sort of goes out the window. It happened a lot more when they were younger and hasn’t really been an issue as of late. Then again, she wasn’t living two rooms down from him like she is now. Now, things are different. He just can’t place a finger on how. 

“Bellamy?” Her voice is small but it brings him back from his thoughts. She’s sitting a bit closer to him now, one leg tucked under her and the other hanging over the edge of the bed. 

“Yeah. Sorry, I’m back.”

“Can I ask you something?”

There’s something almost serious about her voice which makes him sit up a little taller. “Of course you can. What’s up?”

“Would you um, would you maybe come with me tomorrow? To my appointment, I mean.”

“Oh uh—”

“Sorry. It’s okay if you can’t. I understand. Just forget I asked.” She moves to get off the bed but stops when his hand grabs her wrist. Her head whips around, eyes wide and lips parted slightly ready to protest the sudden closeness but falters when she sees the state of him. He’s stiff and his skin is flushed pink, eyes downcast staring at a knotted piece of yarn on his comforter. 

“It’s not that I don’t want to go, okay? It’s just that, well, I guess I sort of just assumed that I’d be taking you so I already asked for the day off of work.”

“You did?”

He chances a glance up at her, skin going even brighter at the small turn up of her lips. “Is that okay?”

Her smile stretches wider and she leans in to give him a peck on the cheek. When she leans back, she’s almost as pink as he is. “Of course it’s okay. Thank you.”

Bellamy can’t do anything but nod. 

Having said all that she came to say, Clarke wishes him a goodnight’s sleep and retreats from the room, closing the door behind her.

A few seconds later, when his attention has turned back to his book, the door opens again and then Clarke’s face appears in his view again. 

“Can I help you with something?” he asks, a teasing lilt to his voice.

She bites her bottom lip between her teeth. “I really want some Oreos but we’re out of peanut butter…”

He lets out a heavy sigh, closing his book again, and setting it aside. “Let me get my shoes on.”

“You’re the best, Bellamy.”

He laughs quietly. “Yeah, yeah. Just make sure the baby knows that too.”


	5. An Unexpected Development

Clarke wakes him up early the following morning with pleads for breakfast before they head out for the day. Bellamy gripes to himself as he pulls on a pair of old sweatpants but says nothing out loud for her to hear. It’s one thing to be woken up at six am on a school day, but a whole other thing to be woken up that early on a Saturday morning when the sun has barely even begun to rise. 

Nonetheless, with Clarke in the shower and Octavia still fast asleep in her bed, Bellamy goes to work preparing as nutritious a meal as he can with the ingredients at his disposal. With everything going on the last few weeks he hadn’t really had time to go out and get groceries. 

“That looks good.”

Bellamy turns, almost dropping the two plates he’s carrying, both piled high with eggs and toast. He smiles sheepishly and carefully sets the plates down on the table, one at his chair and the other at Clarke’s. 

“I uh, I hope it’s okay. I haven’t had any time to get groceries so this is really all we’ve got.”

Clarke pads across the floor and takes a seat in front of her plate. Tearing off a corner of her toast, she uses it to scoop up a small pile of eggs and pops the food into her mouth. She takes her time chewing which, in turn, makes Bellamy more nervous than he really should be this early. After a few minutes, she turns and smiles up at Bellamy. “It’s really good, Bell. Thanks.”

Bellamy returns the smile and sits down in the chair across from her, immediately digging into his own food.

They eat together in silence, both too hungry to start a conversation and neither one really knowing where to start. 

***

They hadn’t really discussed much about her first ultrasound appointment but Bellamy figured he’ll just be sitting in one of those uncomfortable plastic chairs in the waiting room while she’s inside with the technician. Clarke, of course, had other plans as he now finds himself standing next to her while she lies back on the exam table. Her t-shirt is hiked up to just below her breasts and a piece of blue cloth is tucked into the waistband of her jeans in case any gel were to slide down. Bellamy stands in silence as Clarke and the technician, a very kind young man named Jackson, discuss the pregnancy and how far along they believe Clarke is.

“I mean, I never really thought about it, but I’m guessing maybe like, twelve or thirteen weeks? Maybe even fourteen.”

Jackson smiles at Clarke as he squeezes a generous amount of gel onto Clarke’s small bump. “No worries. We’ll do the scan and then be able to see exactly how far along you are.”

“Oh okay. Great. Thank you so much.”

Bellamy watches Jackson grab the ultrasound wand and place it on Clarke’s belly where he then begins to move it back and forth across the still growing bump. Only when Clarke grabs a hold of his hand does Bellamy’s gaze turn from the monitor to her waiting eyes. She has a nervous look about her; the way she’s biting at her lip tells him everything he needs to know. He doesn’t say anything but instead opts for giving her hand a small squeeze. Just something to let her know that he’s not going anywhere and that there’s nothing to be afraid of. She gives him a smile in thanks before turning her attention back to Jackson and the monitor.

Jackson moves the wand across her belly and stops. “Alrighty so, see those there?” He points up to the two large white shapes amidst all the black static. “Those are your babies.”

Clarke’s grip tightens around Bellamy’s hand. “Babies?”

Jackson nods. “Yes. Babies.”

Bellamy and Clarke exchange looks, Bellamy’s eyes wide. “As in, more than one?”

“Yes, as in more than one.”

Jackson moves the wand again and flips a switch on the machine and soon the room is filled with the sound of multiple heartbeats all pounding together in harmony. Tears well up in Clarke’s eyes and her grip tightens on Bellamy’s hand. He squeezes her hand back but just can’t manage to tear his eyes away from the screen. They may not be his kids, but just knowing that he’ll be somewhat involved in their lives, makes him more emotional than he’d ever care to admit.

“Bellamy?”

He sucks in a shaky breath and turns to face Clarke whose face matches his own; eyes wide and glistening with tears. 

“You’re having twins, Clarke.”

***

“Holy shit. You’re having twins?” 

Bellamy sighs as he sets the flatware on the kitchen table. “Yes O, she’s having twins. Now, will you please get off the counter?”

Rolling her eyes and snatching a carrot from the bowl on the counter beside her, Octavia hops off, her sock-covered feet hitting the floor with a soft thud. She shuffles along the wooden floor towards where Clarke is seated at the kitchen table, her hands busy at work chopping up the peeled potatoes in front of her. 

“Believe me”—Clarke tosses another handful of potatoes into the bowl beside her cutting board—“I was just as surprised as you.”

Octavia pulls her feet up underneath her and leans back in her chair. “Mhm. So, have you told Finn yet?”

Clarke pauses for a brief moment before grabbing the bowl of potatoes and moving from her chair to where Bellamy now stands at the stove. “I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?” Octavia asks as she munches down on the carrot.

“I mean, it’s too late. I can’t tell him now. He’s already back together with Raven.”

Bellamy turns his focus from the pot of boiling stew on the stove to Clarke as she passes him the bowl before moving to the sink to wash her hands. “Clarke, just because they’re back together now doesn’t mean you can’t tell him.”

“Yes, it does.” She dries off her hands on the dishrag laying on the counter. “If I tell him now, it’ll just ruin everything. He loves Raven and she loves him. I can’t destroy all that over some drunken mistake that I know he regretted immediately.”

Having said her piece, Clarke takes off in the direction of the living room when Octavia speaks up, “What are you going to do, then?”

Clarke turns back around giving the younger Blake a tired look. “What do you mean? We just—”

“No, Clarke.” Octavia sits up straighter now, her feet pressed firmly on the floor. “What are you going to do now that you’re actually starting to show and everyone is going to start asking you who the father is.”

“They’re not—”

“Yes, they are, Clarke. We both know how nosey the girls at school can be. This whole thing is gonna be like a feast for all those bloodsucking fiends. It’s gonna be brutal.”

Clarke lets her mouth hang open, not quite sure how to respond next. To be honest, she hadn’t really thought about all of that. Everything has become so hectic in the last few weeks that she really hasn’t had time to worry about what all the others at school were going to be saying. 

“What about me?”

Bellamy’s voice grabs her attention. She looks at him with furrowed brows. “Sorry, what?”

“I said, what about me.”

Octavia catches on faster than Clarke, her eyes widening as she spins in her chair to face her brother. “Bell—”

“Tell everyone I’m the father.”


	6. And So it Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, before you start reading this chapter, I just want to say thank you to all of those who are actually reading this story. You guys have no idea what your support truly means to me. Just the fact that I actually have people interested in something I wrote is phenomenal. I've always been a writer, like my mom and sisters, but I also have ADD which makes it really hard for me to sit down and focus on one thing for such an extended period of time. Especially writing. I can usually bust out a chapter, maybe two, before I inevitably start focusing on something else. But with this one, I don't know. There was just something about this one that really pulled me in. I worked non-stop on this story and I'm so proud of myself for actually being able to finish a story completely. I've never gotten this far on anything I've written. And just reading all of the kind comments you all are leaving, makes it so worth it. 
> 
> So thank you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for your support. And thank you for your kindness. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> -Annika

* * *

“What the actual hell, Bellamy?!” Octavia growls out as she whirls around on her brother and lets the bedroom door slam shut behind them.

Bellamy rubs at the section on his upper arm now sore from where Octavia held onto it as she dragged him up the stairs after their conversation with Clarke. He narrows his eyes at her. “What are you talking about?”

Octavia hits Bellamy across the chest. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. Why the hell would you offer something like that?”

“I don’t know, okay?” Bellamy sighs, his shoulders dropping as he shuffles across the floor to where his bed is located beneath the window at the far side of the room. He drops down, his legs folding underneath him and his back leaning against the cool metal frame. “It just sort of came out.”

“So you didn’t mean it?”

“Of course I meant it.” He pauses, watching as his sister moves to sit on the window sill, her feet resting on the edge of his bed and her back up against the double-paned glass, before continuing, “I want to be there for her as much as I can. And if that means that I have to pretend for a little while, then so be it. I just...I can’t let her go through this alone.”

Octavia contemplates this for a moment before leaning forward to rest her arms on her knees. “And you don’t think that your feelings for her could possibly get in the way of that?”

He doesn’t miss a beat. “No.”

“Oh really?” Octavia raises a perfectly manicured eyebrow at her older brother. “And why’s that?”

“Because I won’t let them.”

Grinning and clapping her hands together, Octavia slides off the window sill and onto the bed before finally landing on the floor next to Bellamy. “The fact that you actually think you have a say in that just shows how horribly this is going to go.”

Bellamy goes to protest but is stopped by his sister’s hand on his shoulder. “Look, big bro, just promise me one thing.”

He stays silent and nods. 

“Don’t let whatever this is, ruin what you and Clarke already have, okay? And for heaven’s sake, don’t you dare break her heart.”

***

Clarke’s seated on the living room couch, legs tucked beneath her, when the Blake siblings return almost thirty minutes later. Bellamy takes notice of the state of the kitchen as the siblings make their way to Clarke. In the time that they had been gone, Clarke had finished cooking the stew and ladled it into the three bowls that he had set out earlier. Three glasses of water accompany the bowls of cooled stew and the stove has been turned off along with the light and fan above. 

Bellamy chuckles to himself; leave it to Clarke Griffin to worry about finishing up dinner at a time like this. He smiles softly at her as he takes a seat on her right while Octavia occupies the left.

It’s Octavia who breaks the silence first, “Clarke, you okay?”

“Let’s do it.”

The Blake siblings exchange a look, both confused at the statement and just as curious about what she means.

Bellamy looks from Octavia to Clarke. “And by ‘it’ you mean?”

“Let’s tell people you’re the father.” Clarke’s eyes are on him now and he can’t look anywhere else. 

“Are you sure about this?” Bellamy asks.

“Honestly? Not really. But, the last thing I want to do is mess with Finn and Raven’s relationship by bringing this into it.”

Bellamy shifts in his spot, gaze now focused on the couch cushions, his knuckles clenching and jaw tensing. _Of course, she’s more concerned about that jackass than about her own self._ “Clarke, if this isn’t really what you want then—”

“It is. I want, I want to have someone with me through all of this. I want to be able to tell people that, ‘No, I am not alone‘. To know that I don’t have to worry about this pregnancy because I know that there isn’t anything in this world that will keep you from protecting us. Protecting me and...and _our_ children. Think you can do all that?”

He doesn’t really know what to say. When he’d brought the topic up earlier, he hadn’t actually expected her to say yes. It was hopeful wishing more than anything. Something that he wanted but didn’t think he could actually get. And now, he’s not quite sure what to do or say. 

“Bellamy?” 

His eyes meet hers again and he smiles. “Let’s do it. I’m all in.”

They stay that way, smiling at each other, for only a few minutes longer when Octavia coughs to gain their attention. 

“So, not that this whole thing isn’t really crazy already, but we should probably figure out some logistics before school tomorrow when everyone starts asking questions.”

Two sets of confused eyes turn to her, brows furrowed. She sighs and runs a hand through her hair. This is way too much work for a fifteen-year-old.

“Clarke, how far along are you?”

Clare looks to Bellamy and then back to Octavia, her brows furrowing even more. “Um, well the Doctor said a little over fourteen weeks.”

Octavia nods. “So about four months then, right?”

“Yeah,” Clarke responds as she turns in her seat to better see her best friend. “At Josephine Lightbourne’s back to school party that she threw.”

Bellamy ducks his head and chuckles under his breath. “Yeah, I remember that night. Jasper got so drunk that he threw up all over the pool table in the den. And then Josie got so mad and started yelling about how her parents would kill her. Eventually, the cops broke it up and everyone scattered.”

Octavia spreads herself out on the couch, legs draping themselves over Clarke’s lap and head resting comfortably on the armrest. “Man, some people really need to learn how to hold their alcohol. Vodka isn't even that strong so he’s just a lightweight.”

“And you know this how?” Bellamy asks, his voice stern yet playful. He knows exactly how she knows, but he really just loves messing with her.

Rolling her eyes, Octavia sits up on her elbows to get a better view of her older brother. “Really, Bell? We both know how I know so there’s really no reason to beat around the bush.”

Bellamy takes a moment to truly process his sister’s words, despite already knowing about some of her more rebellious habits. He’s pretty much resigned himself to the fact that he can’t control her, no matter how much he wants to.

“Okay,” Octavia speaks up again with a small clap of her hands, regaining Bellamy’s attention, “here’s what we’re going to tell people…”

***

The following morning is just as normal as ever, save for Clarke getting frustrated about her favorite pair of high waisted jeans no longer fitting thanks to the bump that is finally starting to make itself known. She sits on the floor and cries for nearly twenty minutes, her emotions finally getting the better of her. It takes some coaxing from Bellamy and quick thinking from Octavia to finally come up with a solution. With a DIY elastic band sewed into the waistband of her jeans and her hand linked comfortably with Bellamy’s, Clarke finally seems to have calmed down some. 

“You ready for this?” Bellamy asks when they’re only a few blocks from the school. His hand is still linked tightly to hers over the middle console while his other loosely grips the steering wheel. When she offers no response, he risks a quick glance at her as she sits in the passenger seat, her eyes staring distractedly out the window. He squeezes her hand once to get her attention, only giving her a soft smile when she turns her gaze on him. 

“Sorry, I was just thinking.” 

He focuses his gaze on the road as he asks, “About anything in particular?”

Clarke sighs as she turns her gaze to the houses passing by. “Not really. It’s probably nothing. Just nerves. Don’t worry about it.”

“You know, we don’t have to do this today if you don’t want to.”

“Well, she’s gonna have to do it sometime,” Octavia speaks up from the backseat as the car comes to a stop at the back of the drop-off line in front of the main building. “Better late than never, Clarke.”

With a kiss to her brother’s cheek and a wave to them both, Octavia climbs out of the backseat of her brother's old beat-up Jeep Wrangler and slams the back door shut. She jogs just a little to catch up to her friends as they enter the front doors. 

Putting the car back in drive, Bellamy pulls away from the curb and drives towards the student parking at the back of the school. When they’d first announced at the end of last year that they were moving student parking to the back, there weren’t too many pleased faces. Then, as summer came and went, the students thought about it more and soon realized that parking in the back wasn’t such a bad idea. It just meant they could sneak away easier. 

In this case, however, it means that Bellamy and Clarke can enter the school without making too much of a scene. He isn’t too concerned though, seeing as how her bump is still able to be hidden well enough with the right shirts and jackets. The thing he’s most concerned about though, is how the rumors are going to start spreading the second anyone sees them together. He knows it’ll be rough. He doesn’t doubt that for a second. He just wishes that he could take all of it so that Clarke has to bear none of it. 

With those thoughts still lingering in his head, and the crisp winter breeze sneaking in through the passenger side window, Bellamy pulls into the first parking spot he sees and puts the car into park before turning the keys to shut off the engine. It takes him a few calming breaths before he shoves the keys deep into his jacket pocket and climbs out of the vehicle, letting the door swing shut after him. Jogging around to the other side and giving Clarke a goofy smile, Bellamy pulls the door open and offers Clarke his hand. 

She cracks a smile and laughs but takes the aforementioned hand nonetheless. “Hmm. Such a gentleman.” Her tone is mocking as she moves around to stand on the curb while Bellamy grabs both their bags from the back. 

Hanging both bags from his shoulder and turning to face the small blonde, Bellamy smirks before leaning in, his mouth just flush against her ear. “Just trying to put on a believable show for the spectators watching from the music room. _Babe,_ ” he whispers the last word out, a jab at a conversation they’d had the night before. 

Clarke moves her hands onto his upper arms and holds tight in case she loses her balance all the while snickering under her breath at the dreaded pet name. “Yeah, I saw them. Are you nervous?”

Bellamy pulls back so now they’re face to face, eyes locking onto one another. “Obviously. You?”

“More than ever. But, if we don’t deal with this now, then it’ll just be worse down the line. Now, kiss me.”

“Woah. Clarke, are you sure about-nghh!”

Bellamy’s words are cut off by Clarke’s lips suddenly crashing into his, her hands now placed firmly on the sides of his head to pull him in closer. It takes him a moment for him to register what is really happening but it only takes a second for his brain to respond, his hands moving to hold her waist and pull her close to him. Neither breath until they pull apart, their foreheads resting against one another, and their breathing labored. 

Their focus is solely on one another that neither of them hears the loud voices approaching them until it’s too late.

_“What the hell?!”_


	7. Rumor Has It

“What the hell?!” Josephine Lightbourne’s nasty voice is recognized without fail as it comes rushing towards the newly formed couple, neither quite ready to face the music just yet but both knowing at this point, they have no choice. 

Giving each other a reassuring smile and letting their hands fall to their sides, they both turn to face the crowd that has now gathered outside. At the front of the growing crowd of students stands Josephine, her arms folded tightly across her chest and a hard scowl on her bright red lips. 

“Josephine,” Bellamy speaks, his voice even and Clarke can practically hear the smirk playing on his lips, “is there something we can help you with?”

Her scowl deepens as she takes a few steps forward, her hips swaying as she walks. “Yeah actually, there is. You can start by explaining to me why the hell you two are suddenly so cozy with each other. Cause last time I checked, you guys were not a thing.”

Bellamy chuckles under his breath. “You’re right, Josie. We weren’t a thing but, last time I checked, it was none of your business.”

“Check again, Blake, cause everything that happens in this school is my business. Nothing goes on around here without me knowing about it first. Nothing.” She advances on the couple, her arms now dropping to her sides and swinging in time with her hips until she is standing mere inches in front of them. She opens her mouth to speak once more but is cut off when the warning bell rings through the speakers around the outside of the school. 

One by one, the students slowly trickle away, some murmuring about how they want to stay and see what happens while others are scurrying back inside to head to their homeroom class. In the end, it’s Josie who leaves first, not willing to risk another Saturday detention for skipping class. Bellamy and Clarke don’t miss the glare she sends them over her shoulder as she heads back inside.

Neither of them realizes how long they were holding their breaths until they feel the air leave their lungs. It takes a minute for them to gather their thoughts and then they’re making their way into the school, Clarke’s hand discreetly slipping into Bellamy’s as they enter through the double doors and head for their homeroom class. 

***

It only takes a week for the gossip about the incident with Josephine to finally die down, which unfortunately leaves room for a new rumor to start its infection. 

Bellamy and Clarke have barely made it five feet inside the building before the chatter turns to whispers. They walk slowly through the front doors and glance around at the other students, neither quite sure what is happening. It isn’t until Octavia comes barreling towards them, with Murphy in tow, that they know anything is really wrong.

Octavia comes to a stop in front of them, her breathing heavy as she struggles to catch her breath. It’s only when she can finally breathe properly that she speaks. “Dammit Bell, I was trying to call you all morning. Why the hell didn’t you answer?”

Bellamy glances at Clarke and then back to Octavia. “My phone dropped in the sink last night when I was doing the dishes. It’s been in a bag of rice all night and this morning. Why were you—is something wrong?”

It’s Murphy who speaks up next, his voice unusually quiet, “I don’t know who it was, but somebody tipped the vultures off to your little situation and let’s just say, they’ve been waiting to strike all morning.”

Clarke’s mouth goes dry and her lungs feel so small. It’s getting harder to breathe until she feels Bellamy tighten his grip on her hand and suddenly, all the air is back. 

“Wait”—Bellamy points a finger at Murphy—“did you know about our...situation...beforehand?”

Murphy nods. “Yeah. I mean, I do have a younger sister so I remember things from when my mom was pregnant with her. It took me a couple of days after the whole _bathroom incident_ but I finally figured it out.”

“You weren’t the one who—”

“No, dude. That’s way too douchey even for me.”

Bellamy nods before turning back to his sister. “That’s why everyone’s being so weird, isn’t it? Cause they know.”

Octavia says nothing, only nodding in response. 

Sighing, Bellamy drags a hand down his face, takes a deep breath and then turns to face Clarke head-on. Her mind is off somewhere else but he manages to bring her back when he grabs her other hand in his and holds them to his lips. He places a featherlight kiss on her knuckles, drawing her attention back to him and forming a smile on her lips. 

“Hey,” he whispers.

“Hi.” 

“Well, it’s up to you, Clarke. How do you want to handle this?”

Clarke shakes her head. “No. We’re in this together, remember? You and me. We decide everything together.”

A warm feeling spreads through his chest at her words and the way she looks him in the eyes. It’s the look that makes him realize that, despite everything, there’s hope for this to become something real. More real than he could ever wish for. 

“The head and the heart, right? Always together.”

A warm smile graces Clarke’s lips. “The head and the heart. Forever.” 

Bellamy returns the smile before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers in a soft, chaste kiss. 

“Miss Griffin. Mr. Blake.”

Pulling away from each other, but still keeping their hands connected, they turn to face the owner of the voice. Standing at the front doors, a few feet to the left of the front office is their Principal. Hands on his hips and a stern look on his face, he gestures for them to follow before heading back the way he came to his office. 

Hand in hand, they follow after him.

***

It’s stuffy in the cramped room, Bellamy and Clarke sitting next to each other in the pair of uncomfortable chairs against the wall and the older man leaning back against the desk with his hands supporting his weight on either side of him. His head is hung low and he hasn’t said a word since they entered ten minutes earlier. Clarke is beginning to get nervous, she’s never seen him this quiet before and it scares her. 

The silence isn’t only making her nervous she realizes when she notices the way Bellamy’s leg is bouncing out of the corner of her eye. She places a gentle hand on his thigh in an attempt to calm his nerves and he responds by wrapping a hand over hers. It doesn’t stop the nervous motion, but she knows it helped at least a little. And that’s all that she can do right now.

“So, Clarke, I spoke with your mother.” His words are steady when he finally speaks but there’s something else under the calm that she just can’t quite put her finger on.

She tries to match the calm of his voice, careful not to let him know how nervous she truly is. “Well, that makes one of us.” She breathes in deeply. “Mar—Principal Kane…”

“Clarke, right now, please don’t see me as your principal. Right now...see me as your stepfather. I want to help you. Both of you. I heard your mother’s side of things, but I’d really like to hear the truth. From you.”

Clarke nods and takes a deep breath before answering, “I’m pregnant. About four months. I uh, I told mom and she wasn’t too happy. Told me the only way I’d be allowed back, was if I wasn’t pregnant anymore.”

“She told you that?” 

“Yeah. Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, okay? I just, I didn’t want to worry you.”

Pushing off the desk, Kane crouches down on the floor until he’s level with Clarke. “Listen, Clarke, I don’t care that you didn’t tell me before, alright? I’m just glad that you’re telling me now. And I’m your stepdad, it’s my job to worry.”

Clarke smiles down at him before surging forward and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. He hesitates but ultimately returns the gesture. 

“Now,” Kane starts as he pulls back from the hug, “what can I do to help?”

***

“So wait, your stepdad is gonna help you out?” Octavia mumbles through a mouthful of pizza as they all sit around the coffee table that night. Her legs are thrown over the arm of the chair while Bellamy and Clarke occupy the couch. 

“Yep. Marcus said that he’d be happy to help out with any of the expenses for the babies.” 

Octavia finishes off her fourth slice of pizza and quickly reaches for another. “And you’re cool with that? Really?”

“Yes, really.” Clarke, having finished her food, sets her plate down on the floor next to the leg of the couch. 

“Besides, I think he’s really excited at the idea of being a grandpa,” Bellamy says as he takes another bite of his slice of Hawaiian pizza - something neither of the girls would touch. 

Clarke chuckles. “True, but he’d never admit it. At least, not to us.”

Bellamy nods in agreement as he munches down on the last bite of pizza while his arm that’s resting on the back of the couch slowly slides down until it’s resting comfortably around Clarke’s neck and shoulders. 

Clarke leans back against him and snuggles up as much as she can while letting her head rest against his arm. 

“Ugh.” Octavia gags as she swings her feet down to the floor. “For a fake couple, you guys are really disgusting. I’m heading up to bed.” She snatches the last slice of pizza from the cardboard box and a can of Root Beer from the table before heading to her room, only managing a mumbled goodnight through her mouthful of food. 

They sit there together after she leaves in comfortable silence. Neither of them is quite ready to move from their positions just yet. So, with the blanket from the back of the couch covering them, they settle in and let their minds slowly drift away as sleep finally takes them.


	8. People Who Care

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in case I didn't say it earlier, writing the Murphy/Clarke friendship in this story was probably one of my favorite parts about writing this story. I really love writing Murphy. 
> 
> Anyhow, here it is. The next segment. Enjoy everyone!
> 
> -Annika

* * *

“Damn Clarke. You got fat.” 

“Nice to see you too Murphy.” Clarke flips him off and gives the troublemaker a short smile as he plops down on the lunch bench across from her. He returns the gesture with one of his own and a toothy grin to match. 

She shakes her head at him and returns to the issue at hand. She is now twenty weeks along and is starting to get really tired of not fitting anywhere. All she wants to do is sit at a lunch table with her friends and eat her food, but even that is beginning to become an issue. She isn’t even really that big yet. 

She shuffles around a bit, pushing her bag onto the floor at her feet to make more room. 

“You good there?” Murphy asks when he notices her discomfort. 

“No. I’m not. I’m only twenty weeks and I can’t even fit into this stupid table. These damn benches are too close and the table is too low.” She huffs out the words as she continues to maneuver herself around the table, trying as hard as she can to find a place where her belly will fit.

Murphy thinks about her situation for a moment before formulating a plan. He quickly stuffs the contents of his lunch back into the sad brown paper sack, grabs his bag and jacket from the seat next to him and moves around to Clarke’s side of the table. Luckily for his plan, the table they’re currently occupying is next to the cafeteria wall so technically, you can only get to where Clarke is, from one end of the table. He doesn’t say anything as he shimmies his way behind the bench and takes the seat between her and the wall. 

She gives him a quizzical look as he situates himself up against the wall, legs straddling the bench and his jacket and backpack sitting in his lap. 

He motions for Clarke to scoot back. “Come on.”

“What?”

Murphy rolls his eyes. “Look, you were just complaining about being cramped and uncomfortable. Not being able to fit. Well now, you can. Just c’ mere.”

Finally understanding what he’s doing, Clarke says nothing as she twists her body around so she’s facing away from Murphy and her legs are straddling the bench. She shuffles back until she hits the soft padding of his belongings. She can feel dozens of eyes in the lunchroom focusing in on her and Murphy’s position but doesn’t let it bother her. Murphy’s just being a good friend and she appreciates it more than he knows. 

With her back settled against him, Clarke reaches into her bag to retrieve the lunch she had shoved in it earlier that morning. She sets the Tupperware container down on the table and pops off the plastic lid. One whiff of the leftover pasta has Clarke gagging and pushing the offensive food down to the other side of the table. She huffs in frustration and runs a hand through her curls when she feels Murphy tapping on her shoulder. Looking back at him, she quirks an eyebrow when he offers her a sandwich sealed inside a Ziploc bag. 

“It’s Peanut Butter, Clarke. Jess was very insistent on making you lunch before I left this morning. She wouldn’t take no for an answer. And neither will I. Take it, please.”

Clarke eyes both Murphy and the sandwich cautiously before giving in and taking the food from him, offering a small smile in gratitude as she turns back around. 

“So,” she starts as she takes a bite of the sandwich, “Jessie knows I’m pregnant, huh?”

Murphy takes a swig of the bottled water on the table, “Relax. She overheard me talking about it with Emori last night when she came over. I found her out in the kitchen this morning at like seven and her hands were covered in peanut butter. She was very concerned about you and wanted to make sure you weren’t gonna get sick from the cafeteria food.”

“Well, tell her I appreciate it. And that it was a very delicious sandwich.”

Murphy chuckles in response and then continues to chow down on the rest of his lunch. 

***

The bell signaling the end of lunch rings thirty-five minutes later. Collecting their belongings and discarding their trash into the bins next to the doors, Murphy escorts Clarke out of the lunchroom and down the hall to her next class.

“You know I can get to class by myself, right? I’m not completely inept,” Clarke jokes with Murphy, a twinge of a smirk growing on her lips. 

Murphy glares at two senior jocks as they eye the size of Clarke’s belly. “Yeah, well, I promised Bellamy this morning when I picked you and Octavia up that I’d keep an eye out for you guys. He hates that he has to work so he wanted to make sure nothing happens.”

Clarke rolls her eyes at Bellamy’s overprotectiveness and Murphy’s sudden hyperawareness. The second anyone so much as sneezes in her direction, he looks about ready to pounce. She isn’t exactly complaining over the special treatment, but she also hates that everyone is so concerned about her when everything is going fine. 

“You guys really need to stop fussing over me. If anything were really wrong, I would tell someone.”

Murphy lets out a chuckle as they come to a stop in front of her locker. “Clarke, when we were in fourth grade and your dad died, you still came to school and didn’t tell anyone because you didn’t want to distract everyone from the science fair.”

Clarke rolls her eyes while shoving her bag in her locker so she can grab her textbooks out. “That was a one-time thing okay? Besides, it was a really important day for everyone.”

“That’s not the point and you know it.” 

“Okay then, what is the point?” She turns to face him while letting her locker close and lock behind her. 

He sighs and drags a hand down his face. “The point is that you never let anyone know when something is wrong. You just deal with it on your own. But you can’t do that now.”

Sighing, Clarke takes off down the hallway, slowing down only when he reaches her and grabs a hold of her arm. She stops and lets him move in front of her. 

“Clarke, I know that we piss each other off a lot, okay? I know that we don’t always see eye to eye, but I need you to make me a promise.”

Clarke nods.

“I need you to promise me that if something happens or doesn’t feel right, that you’ll let someone know. If you can’t get to Bellamy, then come find me. My phone is always on and I live like two streets down from you guys. Just, promise me you won’t stay silent, okay?”

She takes a deep breath, one that fills her lungs completely. She’s known Murphy almost as long as she’s known Bellamy and she’s never once heard him sound so...scared. So scared and concerned for someone’s safety other than his own. 

“I promise.”

He lets out a heavy breath. “Thank you.”

***

Soft lyrical music is drifting throughout the house when Bellamy enters, a smile creeping upon his lips as he shuts the door behind him and kicks off his work shoes. Shrugging off his jacket and draping it across the back of the couch, Bellamy follows the source of the music. He’s pleasantly surprised - and amused - when he finds Clarke lying down on the kitchen floor. Her eyes are closed and her knees are bent so her feet are flat on the floor. One hand is caressing the exposed skin of her growing belly—her shirt having been long since discarded leaving her in just her sports bra—while the other hand hovers in the air, fingers twirling around in time with the music. She hums along with the words and wiggles her toes to the beat. He smiles down at her, not really even sure how one human can look so perfect.

As quietly as he can, he steps into the room and over to Clarke where he crouches down on the floor next to her. 

“Is something wrong with your bed?” he whispers into her ear.

She smirks but doesn’t reply. Instead, she turns her head towards him and cracks one eye open. “Not particularly, no.”

“So then, you’re laying on our kitchen floor because?”

“Does there have to be a reason?” she asks while sitting up and scooting backward so she’s leaning up against the cupboards. 

Bellamy chuckles and sits back onto the floor. “I mean, I guess not.” Using his hands, he manages to push himself across the floor until he is up against the cupboards next to Clarke. He smiles at her and she smiles right back before leaning in and pressing her lips to his in a soft kiss. His smile grows as he leans into the kiss, using one hand to cradle her neck and pull her in closer. He rests his other hand on the swell of her belly and she hums into the kiss at the contact. 

She pulls back and places her hand on top of his. “I felt them kick today. Just before you got home.” 

“You did?” He can’t help the twinge of sadness that hits him when he realizes he missed out on such a big moment but it's warmed by the spark of joy he feels. 

Clarke nods while tears well up in her eyes. She grips Bellamy’s hand that lays on her stomach and brings it up to her lips, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. “You know I love you, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” Bellamy kisses the top of her head and then presses another kiss to her lips. “I love you too. All of you.”


	9. For the Love of You

“Hey Bellamy, someone’s at the door. Can you get that?” Clarke asks from her spot on the couch, legs propped up on one arm and back propped up against the other. A small bowl of popcorn balances on the top of her belly. 

Walking through from the kitchen to the front door, Bellamy quirks an eyebrow at Clarke but says nothing as he goes to open the front door. 

He pulls open the door and his veins run cold. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Finn puffs out his chest and stands a little taller but doesn’t back down. “I need to talk to Clarke.”

“She’s not here,” Bellamy says as he blocks Finn’s view to the inside of the house. “And even if she was, I doubt she’d wanna talk to you.”

“Bellamy—”

“Walk away, Finn.” With that, Bellamy steps back inside and slams the door in the other boy’s face, the vibrations shaking the walls. 

Taking a deep breath, Bellamy lets his head fall forward until it’s resting against the door. He knew that eventually, Finn would figure it out but he hoped they’d have a little bit more time. However, if he was able to keep Finn away from Clarke, then they’d have all the time in the world.

“Bell, who was it?”

Bellamy looks up to find Clarke staring at him from her spot on the couch. “No one. Don’t worry about it.”

He just won’t tell Clarke.

***

Clarke wakes to the sound of Bellamy humming beside her, his lips almost touching her ear as he snuggles in closer. She smiles sleepily when she feels his stubble brush against her skin. Her smile breaks into a grin when she feels him press a kiss to her temple and then to her jaw. 

“Good morning.” 

“It’s better now that you’re awake.” He knows the line is cheesy but he can’t help it. Not when he knows what today is.

“Ooh, nice one. I bet you use that on all the ladies.” 

Bellamy smirks. “Nope. Only the ones I get to spend Valentine’s Day with.”

Clarke shifts around until she’s lying on her side facing Bellamy and feels all the worries drain out of her when he places his hand gently on her stomach. She lays her hand on top of his and they both startle slightly when they feel the kicks beneath their hands. 

“Happy Valentines, Bellamy.”

He smiles warmly at her. “Happy Valentines, Clarke.” Leaning forward, he presses his lips against hers in a gentle kiss.

“Alright, love birds! Time for school!” Octavia cries out as she pushes the bedroom door open. She instantly regrets her invasion of privacy when she sees Bellamy flip Clarke onto her back so he’s hovering over her with his hands on either side of her head, their lips still connected. Octavia shrieks and throws a hand over her eyes as she flees from the room pulling the door closed behind her. 

Bellamy and Clarke laugh when they hear her footsteps running down the stairs, trying her hardest to get as far away as she can. 

Clarke speaks first, “We should probably actually get out of bed. We really do need to go to school.”

Nodding, Bellamy presses one more kiss to her lips and then another to her nose which she scrunches in response. “Yeah, you’re probably right. But, we’ll only go if you promise me one thing.”

“And that is?”

“A date. Tonight. I want to take you out on a proper date.”

She thinks about it for a minute. When they started this whole thing, she wasn’t really sure what it was going to be, but now she knows one thing. She wants to go on a proper date with Bellamy. She wants to figure out what they really are to each other. And this is the perfect opportunity to do so. 

“Where?”

“It’s a surprise.” A mischievous smile creeps onto his face. “Just dress nice.”

***

“He’s taking you on a date?” Harper asks as she sets her books down on the desk and takes a seat in the empty chair next to Clarke. She drops her bag down on the floor next to her feet and turns a little in her seat so she can better talk to Clarke. 

Smiling and jotting down the header that’s on the board into her notebook, Clarke nods and spares Harper a quick glance. “Yep. He said to dress nicely and that he wants to take me on a proper date.”

“Make sure you use protection.” 

At the comment, Clarke and Harper both turn to the desk behind them where Echo sits leaning back in her chair with her feet on the desk and her ankles crossed. She’s holding up a copy of _The Call of the Wild_ in front of her face but has clearly been listening to their conversation. The girls exchange a look before directing their attention to the girl sitting behind them. 

Harper speaks first, “Echo, you know Clarke’s already pregnant, right?”

Echo lowers the book and sits up in her chair so that she’s able to peer over the desk. She spots Clarke’s belly through her shirt and raises an eyebrow in surprise before sitting back and shifting her gaze to Clarke and Harper. She stares at them for a minute before speaking, “Well shit. When’d that happen?”

“Um, like six months ago.” Clarke is confused now. She thought at this point that at least most people around the school knew. Then again, Echo tended to keep to herself even though she’d dated Bellamy two years previous. They’d ended things on good terms apparently but she kind of became a loner after it all went down. 

Nowadays, if you wanted to find her, she would usually be holed up in some corner of the library with her face buried in a book. Except for the rare occasions when she actually showed to AP Lit. This just happened to be one of those rare occasions.

“Well, Mazel Tov.” With that, Echo returns her attention back to her book, completely blocking everyone else out for the next eighty minutes.

The girls exchange a look once again but ultimately decide to forget the strange outburst from the girl and instead turn back around to face the front of the classroom where their teacher has yet to begin the lesson for the day. 

Sighing, Harper turns to Clarke with a friendly smile. “So then, what are you wearing for your date?”

***

Pulling the dark knitted sweater over her dress and slipping into her flats, Clarke takes one more look in the bedroom mirror. It’s not the outfit she would’ve originally chosen but with her choice of fitting clothes dwindling down, she doesn’t have many options. 

So, she opts for the short white shift dress that had been hanging in the back of her closet and the dark gray knitted sweater that Bellamy had bought her a couple months back. It isn’t as nice as she would’ve wanted but it’s the best she can do given her current situation. 

She ties her hair up in a low bun, securing it with as many bobby pins as she can manage and a couple puffs of hairspray. A knock on her door alerts her to the time and, replacing the cap on the hairspray, she moves from the vanity that they had purchased when she first moved in, and over to the door. 

She takes a deep breath and smiles as she opens the door, her smile only growing wider when she sees Bellamy standing on the other side. He’s dressed to match her in a white dress shirt and a dark gray sweater over top with black jeans and black dress shoes. 

“Hi.”

His eyes scan over her before landing on her eyes and he smiles. “Hi. You look beautiful.”

“You don’t look half bad yourself.”

He glances down at his clothes and runs a hand over his sweater. “Octavia helped me pick it out.”

She snickers at his nervousness. “Yeah, I had a feeling. I don’t think I’ve seen you wear a sweater like that since our fifth grade graduation.”

“Uh, yeah. So, are you ready?” 

“Just let me grab my purse.” She turns to grab the purse laying on her bed but he stops her with a hand on her wrist.

“Don’t. You won’t need it.”

Clarke eyes him curiously but decides to see where this is going. She nods and pulls the door shut behind her while he leads her down the hallway. Their hands slip easily into one another's as they continue through the house until they make it to the back door in the laundry room. Clarke gives him a look but he only smiles and reaches for the door. He pushes it open and her eyes go wide. 

Set up on the back porch is a small round table, just big enough for two, draped in a dark table cloth. Two plates and two sets of silverware are set up on the table along with a single lit candle. Twinkle lights are hung up on the roofing above the table, filling the area with an ethereal sort of glow.

“Bell?” She turns to him, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears.

Bellamy turns to Clarke, a hopeful look in his eyes. “I uh, thought maybe you’d be more comfortable here than in some Five-Star restaurant. Do you like it?”

A smile grows and the tears fall as she grabs his face in her hands and brings him in for a kiss. When she pulls back, both their faces are wet with tears and she laughs. “I love it and you. So much.”

“Enough to marry me?”

She stops laughing. Her heart is fluttering in her chest and it feels as if everything has disappeared from around her. 

“What?”

He reaches up to take her hands off his face and brings them down to his lips where he presses a kiss to her knuckles and then holds them tight in his. “Marry me. Not now, obviously, but maybe in a few years when we’re both ready. If you want?”

Clarke doesn’t know what to say. She’s been meaning to figure out what they are and was going to ask him about everything over dinner. But now? Now she doesn’t even have to ask. She knows now that they are forever. And that’s all she’s ever wanted. 

“Yes. Yes, I will marry you.”


	10. Truth Be Told

Clarke drops the book of baby names she’d been skimming through into her lap on the bed and leans back against Bellamy from her position in between his legs. 

“So then it’s a no on every name from that book as well. Got any other ideas?”

Sighing, Bellamy wraps his arms around Clarke’s shoulders and lets them fall naturally onto her bump. “Babe, why don’t we wait until we actually know what we’re having before we get dead set on names.”

“You know I can’t wait that long.”

Bellamy chuckles at Clarke. “It’s only a week away. I think you’ll be just fine.”

At almost 28 weeks along, Clarke is ready to pop. All-day every day she is sore, tired, hungry, and emotional. It’s starting to become too much. Luckily though, she has Bellamy by her side every step of the way. He’s there for her no matter what. She has no idea how some women are able to do this alone. Here she is carrying twins with a loving man by her side, and some women barely have a family member there to help. She is beyond lucky and she knows it.

That gives her an idea. 

“Hey, Bell, what about Aurora for a girl?”

“Like the princess?” Bellamy questions as he rests his chin on top of her head.

Clarke sighs and reaches up to place her hands on top of his, lacing their fingers together. “Well, yes, technically. But I was talking about Aurora like your mom.”

She feels him stiffen at the mention of his mother and immediately regrets saying anything. She knows how touchy a subject it is for him and Octavia but, it is also the only name that feels right. Aurora had always been so kind to her when they were kids and that kindness meant something to her. It’s one of the reasons why she fell in love with Bellamy in the first place. He shares the same kindness as his mother and it makes him a good person. A strong person who, at times, is too trusting in people but is always able to see the good in someone despite if they ever see it in themselves. 

“Why?” 

Sitting up a little bit more, Clarke turns in her spot, both legs folding up underneath her so she can better face Bellamy, and places a comforting hand on the side of his face. “Because she was a strong woman who raised two wonderful children that I am proud to call my family. She taught you both everything you know and did it all by herself. She was a kind, beautiful, and special woman. And, because she gave me you. Without her, I wouldn’t have you or Octavia in my life. And believe me when I say that you guys, along with these babies, are the best things to ever happen to me.”

Bellamy is speechless for longer than she would’ve liked but when he does speak, his words are full of nothing but love. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

Clarke smiles up at him, tears now forming in both their eyes. “Maybe once or twice. But, you’re more than welcome to tell me again. I have no objections.”

His smile matches hers as he leans in and presses his lips to hers in a soft but passionate kiss. These are her favorite moments with him. The ones that are full of love, trust, passion and most of all, comfort. She loves that they feel so comfortable around each other and don’t have to be anybody but themselves. It’s all she’s really ever wanted. 

Her eyes flutter open and her thoughts float away when he pulls back and rests his forehead against hers. 

“Clarke, you trust me, right?” 

“What? Of course, I trust you, Bell. You know I do.”

He nods and sits back on the bed putting more distance between them then she rarely ever wants. She’s searching his face trying to figure out what’s going through his head but it’s like he’s blocked her out. Normally, they practically know exactly what the other is thinking, but now…

“Bell?”

“And you know that every choice I make now, I’m only ever thinking of you and the babies, right?”

Clarke’s heart is starting to beat faster. This isn’t like him. “Yes, of course, I do. Why would you even ask that?” She reaches out to hold his hand and his skin is clammy and cold to the touch. “Bellamy, what’s going on? You’re starting to scare me.”

The pain in his chest tightens and it feels like he can’t breathe. He knows he needs to tell her, but he’s scared. He’s scared of how she’ll react once he does tell her. But he has too. It’s all he’s been able to think about for the last two weeks. And then, she had to talk about his mom. The one and only person, before Clarke, that he was never able to keep a secret from. Aurora knew everything Bellamy ever did or said but still loved him nonetheless. He has to believe that Clarke is the same. That no matter what, she’ll still love him.

“Finn knows that he’s the father.” He speaks in a hushed tone. One that rarely comes from his lips and it scares her even more. 

“What are you talking about? How could he—did you tell him?”

Bellamy shakes his head and she can see the teardrops as they fall onto his shirt. “No. No, I wouldn’t betray you like that. He uh, he figured it out when Octavia started spreading that cover story about us at Josie’s party. Obviously, he was the only one who knew it wasn’t true because you two had been together. He confronted me about it in the locker room after gym class a couple of weeks ago.”

Clarke sucks in a sharp breath. “A couple of weeks? He’s known for a couple of weeks and he hasn’t said anything? Why—”

Bellamy cuts her off before she can get too worked up over something that was his fault. “I told him not to say anything. I told him that you didn’t want anything to do with him and to leave us alone. I guess he got the message cause he only stopped by the house once after and I haven’t heard from him since.”

“Why would you do that?” Her voice is soft but not void of darkness. She can be like that sometimes. Sometimes she’ll say something so sweet but he can hear the venom laced in her words when she speaks. It’s a fascinating thing he’s come to admire about her. But now he’s just scared. 

He doesn’t know why he did it. “I don’t know. Fear, I guess.” He sees out of his peripheral the way her forehead crinkles in confusion. “I was afraid that if you knew he knew, then you’d ask him to be involved. That you’d let him be a part of their lives and that my part just wouldn’t matter anymore. And I want to matter, Clarke. I want to matter to you and to those little kiddos in there. I want to be important. But with him in the picture, you wouldn’t need me anymore. You wouldn’t—”

He cuts himself off before he has a chance to finish another thought. It’s too hard to think about. Not being able to be there for her is the worst thing he could imagine. 

“Bellamy.” Clarke’s warm hand comes to rest on one of his and now he’s afraid of what comes next. It’ll hurt but he’ll understand if she asks him to walk away. “Look at me, please.”

He manages to lift his head enough to look at her and when he does, he finds her staring at him, eyes watery and lips parted just slightly. She smiles at him when his gaze finds hers, something in her eyes he just finds so reassuring and so warm. 

“Bellamy Blake, there is no one on this earth that matters more to me, then you. And don’t you dare, for one single second, think otherwise. I don’t care what happens. If Finn decides he wants to be involved, then fine. He can be involved. But I need you to hear this, okay?”

Her words are firm and he nods, not trusting himself to speak when he can feel the emotions building up.

She reaches up with both hands and cups his face. “Finn is not these babies’ father. He is not now and he never will be. You are their father, Bellamy, do you understand that? Not him. You. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love you, Bellamy Blake.”

The emotions become too much and he can’t take it anymore. He lets the tears fall from his eyes, breath hitching in his throat as he pulls her in and buries his face in her neck. She holds him in her arms, one hand cradling his head and the other rubbing soft motions up and down his back. 

After a while, when his cries have quieted down, she maneuvers herself so she is now sitting almost fully in his lap, his head tucked in against her chest and arms wrapped loosely around her body. She hums to him while stroking her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, the soothing sounds soon lulling him into a deep sleep with Clarke following not long after.

Octavia finds them like that the next morning when she comes to yell at them for not being ready for school. They look so peaceful that she just doesn’t have it in her to wake them up. So instead, she grabs out her phone and snaps a quick photo of them and then sends a text to Lincoln asking for a ride to school. She leaves a note on the table downstairs for when they wake up, letting them know that she got a ride to school and that she already called Marcus to let him know they wouldn’t be in today. 

With all the stress they’ve both been through over the last few weeks, she figures they both deserve at least a little bit of rest. Even if it is only for a day.


	11. How To Heal A Broken Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback Time!

_At nine years old, it should not be this hard to write a stupid paragraph about a muscle in his body. He knows what he wants to say, it’s all in his head, he just can’t bring himself to write it down. He can’t bring himself to write about something that has already caused his family so much pain. It’s too hard. Everyone else makes it look so easy and all he’s managed to write down is his name in uneven letters at the top of the page. He looks up at all the kids sitting around the table and notices the way they’re all hurriedly scribbling down words which makes him feel even worse._

_“Bellamy, is everything okay? You haven’t written anything down yet.”_

_Bellamy looks up into his teacher’s eyes and frowns deeply. “Can I get a different part? I don’t think I can write stuff down for this one.”_

_The smile on her face drops just a little but she hides it quickly with a bigger smile. “Well, darling, unfortunately, everyone’s already been assigned their parts so there aren’t any left. If you’re having trouble though, I’d be more than happy to help you figure something out.”_

_Bellamy quickly shakes his head, his dark curls bouncing as he does so, and stares up at his teacher with wide eyes. “No. No, it’s okay. I can do it. But can I go to the bathroom first?”_

_The young teacher hesitates for a moment, but relents and hands Bellamy the hall pass—a thin piece of wood with the words “hall pass” painted on it in big black letters. He thanks her and scoots his way past all of the other desks in the classroom until he reaches the door._

_As he steps out into the hallway, he glances back at his teacher as she crouches down next to another student’s desk for a conversation, and then takes off down the hallway in the opposite direction of the bathrooms. He hurries down the hall as fast as his worn-out sneakers will let him until he rounds the corner and comes to a stop in front of the classroom on the right._

_The cheerful sounds of laughter spill out into the hallway from the open door, the light from the sun shining in through the large windows that line the opposite wall of the room. Bellamy smiles and laughs while watching as the room full of six-year-olds jump and run about, each one of them smiling and laughing as upbeat music plays from a speaker on the windowsill._

_One little girl, in particular, catches his eye as she jumps up and down, her dark hair tied up in tiny little space buns on top of her head and her emerald eyes shining brightly in the sunlight. She giggles when she accidentally bumps into another little girl and they both go tumbling onto the floor. It makes him feel a little better knowing that at least one of them is having a good day. Well, a good day for a kindergartener that is._

_She rolls over onto her stomach and when she looks up to find him standing outside the door, her eyes grow wide and her smile grows even wider._

_“Bell!”_

_He laughs and watches while she pushes herself up off the floor and comes barreling towards him. He drops to his knees when she reaches him so he can wrap her up in his arms._

_“Bellamy, I missed you so much!”_

_“I missed you too, O. That’s why I came to see you.”_

_Octavia giggles when Bellamy tickles her sides causing her to squirm her way out of his arms._

_Bellamy smiles at his little sister and barely notices when a few tears spill down his cheeks._

_“What’s wrong, Bell? Why are you crying?” Her little face morphs into one of concern as she reaches out her fingers to touch the wetness of his cheeks._

_He hastily pulls her fingers away and wipes his cheeks with the sleeve of his sweater before letting a smile settle on his face. “It’s nothing, see. Guess I’m just very, very happy to see my favorite little sister.”_

_Octavia pulls a face and rolls her eyes, something he’s sure is going to cause him lots of headaches later down the line. “Bell, don’t be silly. Of course, I’m your favorite sister. You don’t have another one.”_

_Chuckling, Bellamy pulls Octavia in and hugs her as tight as he can without hurting her. He didn’t realize how much he needed one of her hugs until right now._

_“Are you sad because I saw daddy and you didn’t?” Octavia’s voice is small and he knows that she’s started crying because he can feel the shoulder of his shirt becoming wet with her tears. He pulls back and looks her in the eyes, her emerald ones glistening with tears and her bottom lip jutted out in a pout that would make even the most coldhearted people cave._

_“O, what do you mean you saw dad? You can’t have seen him. He died last year, remember?”_

_Octavia nods and sniffles, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her shirt. “I remember. But I did see him. I know I did. He was up in the sky when I was outside and he waved at me. I waved back but then he was gone.”_

_Bellamy isn’t sure what to say. He knows that Octavia is still little so she doesn’t quite grasp what it means when someone dies. All that she knows is that one day her daddy was there, and the next day he wasn’t. Bellamy, on the other hand, was there through it all. He was only four when their dad got sick and Octavia was barely even a year old._

_At first, he wasn’t really sure what was going on, just that mommy was crying and daddy was in and out of the hospital all the time. It had been hard to see his mom so sad. And he didn’t even find out why until he was about six. They sat down with him on the couch, Aurora holding him in her lap and his dad, Henry, sitting next to them. Aurora cried silently into her sons’ back while Henry explained the situation to Bellamy. He tried to explain it the best that he could for Bellamy being so young, but eventually, he got the point across._

_Something was wrong with his heart. It was broken and the doctors weren’t sure how to fix it._

_Bellamy cried only a little bit. He didn’t want to make his mom and dad sadder than he knew they already were._

_And all those emotions that he felt over the last three years, have now come rushing back._

_There are so many things he could say to his little sister but, there’s only really one question he wants to ask. “When you saw him, in the sky, did he look...happy?”_

_“Of course he did.” Octavia smiles, her pout gone now but her cheeks still wet with tears. “Daddy is always happy, right?”_

_Smiling, Bellamy nods his head. “That’s right. Always happy. No matter what.”_

_“Do you feel better now?” Octavia asks._

_“Yeah”—Bellamy smiles brighter at his sister and pulls her in for another hug—“I feel much better now. Thanks, O.”_

_After saying goodbye, they part ways and he sends her back to her class, only briefly apologizing to the teacher for the distraction. She waves him off so he makes his way back down the hallway and to his own class, now feeling more ready to write his section than before. It may be hard to write about, but he’s hoping that now, he won’t struggle so much._

_He makes it back to the classroom and returns the hall pass to the teacher before returning to his seat to start again on his writing. When he looks down though, he’s confused and surprised to find that his section has already been written down. Words are scribbled across his paper in writing much nicer than his own and it makes him curious. He knows for a fact that he didn’t write anything before he left so who would’ve…_

_His question is answered when he notices two little letters left in the bottom right-hand corner of the paper._ **_C.G._ **

_He turns around in his chair to face the other side of the room where she sits up against the wall and her hair in curls that frame her face. She’s too focused on the doodle she’s creating on the back of her paper that she doesn’t notice him staring. She knew about his dad before anyone else. They were neighbors up until this year and had come over for the memorial service. She had sat next to him on the couch and didn’t say anything. They sat together until it was time to go and she gave him a hug. When her mom grabbed her hand and walked her out, she turned around and waved goodbye._

_“Bye Bellamy.” She’d smiled._

_He’d waved right back and even managed to return the smile. “Bye Clarke.”_

_That was when he knew that he really liked Clarke Griffin._

_Today, he knew that he more than liked her._

_He hoped that one day, he could tell her how much._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you guys think! I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you all enjoyed reading it. 
> 
> -Annika


	12. More Than Anything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is strictly a Memori chapter. I love it a lot. One of my favorites to write. I hope you all enjoy it as well!
> 
> -Annika

* * *

Murphy settles into the couch next to Emori, one arm coming to rest across her shoulders while she leans into his side. He’s halfway through his second cup of coffee and enjoying whatever she put on TV when Emori shuffles against him before bolting upright and turning to face him.

He raises his cup to his lips and gives her a quizzical look. “Yes?”

“Do you think we’ll ever have kids?” she asks it so calmly and barely even flinches when Murphy chokes on his hot coffee, a few drops landing on the front of his shirt. She waits for him to set his cup down on the coffee table and finish coughing before he finally responds.

“Em, what the hell?”

She hits him in the shoulder. “Answer the question, John. Do you think we’ll ever have kids?”

Murphy huffs and looks around, trying to avoid her burning gaze. “I mean, I guess I’ve never really thought about it, okay? Besides, you said you didn’t want kids, remember?”

“Yeah, as in I don’t want kids right now. But maybe in a few years, I wouldn’t mind so much.”

“Seriously, Em, why are you even bringing this up right now? Can’t we just enjoy the show?” He huffs in exasperation. This conversation is going to start giving him a headache if he doesn’t shut it down fast. 

Emori quirks an eyebrow at his tone of voice. “First off, neither of us are actually following along with anything happening on the TV, and second, I’m bringing it up because I found something very interesting in your jacket pocket this morning.”

Digging in her back jeans pocket, she pulls out a folded up piece of paper and shows it off to him, proud of herself when she sees the face he makes. He’s gone paler than normal and looks as if he’s ready to pass out. She smiles while she unfolds the paper and smooths it out a bit to make it easier to read from. 

“It’s a baby registry from Target.”

“I don’t know how that got there.”

Emori curbs him with a look. “John, it has both of our names listed at the top.”

Murphy groans and pushes up off the couch. “Fine, okay, it’s ours.” He runs a hand through his hair as he moves around to stand behind the couch, his chest rising and falling heavier than before. He doesn’t want to have this conversation but apparently, he doesn’t really have a choice at this point. “I made it a couple of weeks ago as a joke and have been adding things on for the last few days.”

“John, we aren’t pregnant. You know that, right?”

Groaning once again, Murphy drops his hands to the back of the couch, gripping tight, and lets his head drop too. “Yeah. I know. I just—”

He cuts himself off and snaps his mouth shut, not ready in the slightest to say what’s been on his mind since they found out about Clarke’s pregnancy. It’ll be too much if he even chances to say it out loud. She won’t want to know, not really, how he feels about this whole situation. It’ll just make everything weird and then she’ll probably make up some excuse and leave him. He fights back everything he wants to say. He can’t say it.

The weight of her body leaning against his and the comfort he gets from just the feeling of her hand coming to rest on top of his is enough to pull him back from wherever he was going. 

“John, please, just tell me what’s going on. After three years of dating, you really think I wouldn’t know you well enough to know when you’re getting too far into your head? Please, just talk to me.”

How is he supposed to mope and feel guilty about just being himself when she’s right there next to him making everything feel okay? It’s not fair. It’s really, really not. 

“I just,” he starts, his voice quivering from the weight he knows the words carry, “I really, really want to be a dad. More than anything.”

He hears the hitch in her throat and knows that she finally understands. “You wanted it to be us, didn’t you? You want us to be the ones starting a family.”

“I can’t help it.” The way his voice breaks has him gripping the cushions tighter than before. He hates feeling like this—feeling so broken because of the things he wants the most but isn’t sure that he even deserves. 

“You know, sometimes I feel the same way.”

He brings his head up to look her in the eyes but her gaze is focused somewhere far off behind him. “You do?”

She focuses her gaze back on him and he notices the way her eyes soften just a bit - the way they always seem to whenever she looks at him. “Of course I do. All that I want in life, is to be with you. To start a family with you. So seeing Clarke and Bellamy so happy to be starting their family, it made me a little sad. I wanted that to be us. But then I realized something.”

“What?” he asks.

The corners of her lips turn up into a smile and she leans forward to press them against his. He leans into the kiss and chases after her when she pulls away. Her smile grows a little. “I realized that we will have that. Maybe not now or anytime in the very near future, but we will have that. I know we will. And I cannot wait to start a family with you.”

“Really?” he asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

She holds his head in her hands and nods. “Really.”

“You know I love you, right?”

Laughing, she drops her arms to wrap them around his neck, one hand running through the hair at the nape of his neck. “Yeah, I know. I love you too.”

With his hands on her waist, Murphy pulls her forward and presses their lips together once more. 


	13. Pain and Panic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm really sorry about not posting yesterday like I was planning on. Lucifer Season 5 dropped so me and my sister kind of got sucked in. Apologies. 
> 
> Anyways, here you guys go. Another chapter. I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> -Annika

* * *

The shrill sound of his phone going off jolts Bellamy awake from his unscheduled nap. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and searches through the clutter of his work desk until finally, he finds his phone buried beneath a stack of files. The screen is bright as several alerts flash across his lock screen. Three texts and two calls from Octavia and three from Clarke. The latest being from Clarke. Panic rises up as he frantically unlocks his phone and hits speed dial on Clarke’s number. He curses under his breath when it goes straight to voicemail. The panic rises higher and higher as he scrolls through the messages from Octavia. 

_O: Bell, something went down at school. Clarke got hurt. 911 was called and they’re taking her to the hospital to get checked out. I’m gonna ride with her. Meet us there._

_O: Where are you? We’re at the hospital. Hurry up._

_O: Dammit Bellamy. Answer your phone!_

He feels nauseous as he reads through the texts, frustrated with himself for being so damn exhausted. Shooting off a quick reply to let her know he’s on the way, Bellamy gathers up his things, slips on his jacket, and hurries out the door, only stopping long enough to offer an apology to the floor supervisor as he leaves. 

It takes him less than fifteen minutes to make it to the hospital from the office building, his heart beating loudly in his chest as he speeds down the streets. It’s honestly a miracle that he didn’t get pulled over before he got to the parking garage. 

Pulling into the first empty spot he sees, he shuts off the engine, grabs his bag from the back seat and exits the car so he can race over to the main entrance. The atmosphere shifts when he walks through the doors and into the waiting area. It’s a fairly decent sized section of the front room, chairs sectioned off in small groups and some sitting back to back. He navigates his way through the patients that are milling around waiting for their turn to be seen, stopping when he reaches the nurse’s station. 

A young nurse dressed in dark green scrubs stands behind the desk, hunched over so she can write on a file spread out on the desk in front of her. The nurse looks up when he clears his throat and a smile quickly manifests on her lips. 

“Hi there, how can I help you?”

Bellamy returns the smile and takes it as a moment to catch his breath. “I’m looking for my uh-my fiancée, Clarke Griffin. She was brought in here a little while ago.”

Her brows furrow as she glances down at the files on her desk. She shuffles through them until she reaches one tucked away on the bottom of the pile. She pulls it out and flips it open scanning the information. 

“Yes. She was brought in about an hour ago. She’s in room 304. Just go right down that hallway over there. It’ll be the fourth room on the right. The doctor is probably still in there with her so just make sure you knock before going in, alright?”

“Of course. Thank you so much.” 

He takes off towards the hallway she pointed to, a million different scenarios about what could’ve happened running through his brain. She’s only thirty weeks along which technically means she’s not due for another four weeks. Then again, he thinks as he pushes through the double doors at the front of the hallway, the doctor said they could be born earlier since she’s carrying twins. Just the thought of possibly not being ready for everything to come is terrifying. 

He’s so caught up in what can go wrong, that he doesn’t notice walking directly past the room he was told. It’s only when he hears Octavia call his name that he realizes his mistake and doubles back around and to the correct room. 

Clarke is sitting on the exam table, her jacket thrown over her lap, with a doctor on one side and Octavia standing guard on the other. All three heads turn to look at him when he enters the room, the conversation falling silent. An instant look of relief shows on Clarke’s face when they lock eyes and she reaches out a hand towards him. 

Without a moment’s hesitation, Bellamy strides across the room and takes her hand in his. Octavia steps aside to let Bellamy stand next to Clarke but otherwise doesn’t stand too far away. 

Sensing the tension and anxiety building up in him, Clarke smiles up at him and gives his hand a firm squeeze. Though small, the action comforts him and he smiles as he lets the anxiety wash away. Satisfied, Clarke then turns her attention back to the doctor patiently waiting for the conversation to continue. 

She gives the doctor an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Go on, please.” 

“It’s alright. There’s actually nothing more that we really need to discuss. The bruises should heal on their own but it’ll take about two weeks. Everything else looks alright. The babies are fine and there really is no need to worry. Just take it easy. Try not to overwork yourself too much and you should be just fine. Now, if you’ll give me just a few minutes, I’ll be right back with a copy of your visit information. Just hang tight.”

With that, he nods goodbye to each of them before exiting the room and closing the door behind him to give them just a little bit of privacy. Neither of the girls says anything as Bellamy drops Clarke’s hand and walks to the other side of the table where he begins pacing back and forth. They hadn’t realized the doctor was going to bring up the bruises but now that he did, there really was no going back. They were gonna have to let him know. 

“Now Bell, before you wear a hole in the floor, I suggest you stop pacing and just stand there so we can explain everything. Alright?” Octavia says as she moves to stand a little closer to Clarke. They grab hands as Bellamy comes to a stop in front of the exam table, head down and hands on his hips. They can both see the tension in his shoulders and look nervously to each other before turning their attention back to Bellamy. 

He lets out a deep and heavy sigh before lifting his head to look at them both. “When you left this morning, you were fine. And now, you have bruises. What happened?”

Clarke takes a deep and slightly shaky breath in and then lets it out slowly while she focuses on Bellamy.

“There was a fight...at school. Finn and Murphy went at each other because Finn wanted us to talk but I told him I didn’t want to unless you were there but he was being so insistent and I just walked away. He didn’t really like that.” 

Octavia places a comforting hand on her shoulder when her voice breaks at the end and gives her a squeeze. 

Clarke nods—more to herself than anyone else—before continuing on. “He got upset and so he grabbed my arm to stop me. Well, he grabbed really hard and it was hurting so I yelled at him to let me go. That’s when Murphy stepped in. He pushed Finn away from me and then they started getting in each other’s faces. When I tried to pull them off of each other, Finn shoved me back and I fell into the lockers. There’s some bruising from where I fell against them. It doesn’t hurt, though.” She tacks on the last little bit with a slight smile in hopes of comforting not just herself after recounting the whole ordeal. It doesn’t work. 

Neither of the Blake siblings has budged from the stoic looks on their faces currently. So, hoping a new method will work, she drops Octavia’s hand, places her jacket on the table, and hops down. She walks around to stand at the end of the table and then reaches out with both hands, one to Bellamy and one to Octavia. It takes a few minutes, and a few wiggles of her fingers, before they both relent and step forward, each taking one hand. 

“Octavia, look at me.” She turns first to the youngest who just raises her eyes to look at Clarke in response. “This isn’t your fault, alright? You were trying to pull Murphy off of Finn. You never could have known that Finn would react the way he did. Promise me, that you won’t blame yourself, okay?”

Octavia nods, a sliver of a smile playing on her lips. Clarke squeezes her hand before letting it go so she can turn her attention to Bellamy. His gaze is focused on the tile floor, his jaw tight and shoulders still carry all of the tension. 

Pulling her hand from his, she reaches up with both hands, one coming to rest at the nape of his neck and the other landing gently on his shoulder. She leans forward and ducks her head so she can press her lips to his. Instantly, he melts into the kiss and lets all of the tension seep from his body. They lean into each other and he wraps his arms around her waist to pull her closer to him. 

When they break apart, he touches his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry you got hurt. I should’ve been there.”

“And done what? Hit him?” 

Bellamy shrugs and nods at the same time. “Probably, yeah.”

Clarke sighs and lets the smile on her lips twist up at the ends a little bit more. “Yeah well, then you would be in the same place that he and Murphy are. Sitting in Kane’s office waiting to be suspended. I personally prefer that you don’t get in any trouble within the next month, sound good?”

He just nods and lets her lean back in for another kiss. Then, a thought crosses his mind and he pulls back, laughing on the inside when a soft pout forms on her lips from the sudden lack of contact. 

“Hold on, what did Finn want to even talk about?”

It’s Octavia’s turn to speak as she takes a step towards the couple, “The twins. And...about being their father.”


	14. Nowhere Left To Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry you guys. I meant to post this chapter on Friday but I was driving back from my friends' place and just completely spaced. But, here we are. We're getting close to the end here folks. Only a few more chapters left. I'm getting very excited for you all to read how it ends. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> -Annika

* * *

“Wait a second, let me see if I have this straight.” Murphy drops down onto the couch in the Blakes’ front room, a bag of frozen peas now resting on his bruised knuckles. “Finn wants to give up his rights? Seriously?”

Bellamy nods as he tosses the kitchen towel in his hands over his shoulder and folds his arms across his chest. “That’s what Octavia said. Apparently, he doesn’t want the responsibilities that come with being a father and would rather cut off all ties while he has the chance. Doesn’t even want to be a part of their lives.”

“Damn. What a bastard.” Murphy clenches his jaw and flinches when he presses the bag down a little too hard on his injured knuckles. He repositions the bag to lessen the discomfort before returning his focus back to Bellamy, who is now leaning back against the wall, head in the clouds and eyes staring off into the distance on the other side of the room. “Hey dude, you good over there?”

Bellamy sucks in a deep breath. “I asked Clarke to marry me.”

Murphy sits up straighter at the words that leave his best friend’s lips. “Really? Dude, that’s uh, that’s great. What’d she say?”

Smiling, Bellamy finally meets Murphy’s eyes. “She said yes.”

“Well, of course, she did. That girl has been in love with you since we were like ten. It only makes sense she’d say yes.”

Bellamy laughs as he moves to take a seat in the chair across from Murphy, sitting back with a content look on his face. “Yeah well, I’ve loved her since we were eight so I’ve got her beat.”

Nodding and smiling, Murphy matches Bellamy and sits back into the couch, the bag of peas now discarded on the cushion next to him. 

“Yes. That’s right. The heart and the head since we were eight. You know, I remember that project. She wrote your piece for you, and when she got stage fright, you read her piece for her. Pretty sure that’s when we all knew you two were gonna end up together.”

“And I am pretty sure that’s when we decided to be best friends. After all, you did save me from almost falling off the stage,” Bellamy reminds Murphy who smiles and chuckles at the memory. They really had come a long way from being childhood best friends. 

“So then,” Murphy starts, kicking his feet up to rest on the coffee table and leaning back to rest his head on the back of the couch, hands tucked beneath his head, “you guys set a date yet?”

Bellamy sighs. “No. We’re gonna wait a few years. We just wanna be a bit more stable before we jump into anything too big.”

“Because having twins isn’t big enough already.”

“You know what I mean.” 

A knock on the front door halts the conversation before Murphy can respond. Bellamy rises from his seat and walks over to the front door. When he pulls it open, it’s safe to say he’s somewhat surprised at who he finds waiting on the other side. 

Her dark hair is hung in damp sections around her face, wet with the pouring rain outside. Tears fill her eyes and run down her face, mixing with the blood spilling from the open cut on her cheek. Her lip is split and bunches of tiny cuts run along her jaw. She’s trembling, wearing

nothing but jeans, a thin long sleeve pullover, and a pair of worn-out socks. She obviously left in a hurry. And for good reason, it seems. 

“Raven. What—”

“I’m sorry. I know you guys probably want nothing to do with me, but I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

He wants to tell her to leave. He really, really does. Not for him though, for Clarke and everything she’s been through in these last few months. But then, he remembers how close they all were once upon a time and it hurts him to see the pain that Raven is now in. So, staying silent, Bellamy steps back and gestures for her to come inside. 

She’s shivering even after coming in from the cold so Bellamy asks Murphy to grab one of the extra blankets from the closet for her to wrap up in. He ignores the strange look Murphy throws over his shoulder as he stalks off and leads Raven over to the couch where she takes a seat in the space previously occupied by Murphy. 

“I’ll be right back, okay? I’m just gonna run upstairs real quick. Are you going to be alright?”

She nods and he makes a beeline for the stairs, taking them two at a time until he reaches his closed bedroom door. He knows that Clarke is studying for finals but he really figures that Raven would rather talk with her than him. He knocks on the door and waits until he hears her reply from inside before he turns the knob and pushes the door open, stepping into the room and closing it behind him. 

Clarke is sitting up on their bed, legs stretched out in front of her on top of the heavy comforter. Her school books and study guides are spread out around her and a few of the larger textbooks sit in a pile on the floor next to the foot of the bed. The curtains at the window are drawn back allowing a view of the rainy evening—something that Clarke seems to find rather soothing. She shifts her gaze from the notebook she’s currently writing in over to Bellamy when she hears the door shut. 

She smiles tiredly up at him, the corners of her mouth only turning up slightly. “Hey, is dinner ready?”

“Oh no, not yet. But um...we have a bit of a situation downstairs and could use your help.” He tries to not sound as nervous as he’s currently feeling but judging by the look on her face when he finishes speaking, he figures he did a poor job. 

“What kind of situation? Are you guys okay?” Clarke closes her notebook and shoves everything around her away so she can swing her legs to the edge of the bed and slide off. She comes to stand in front of Bellamy, her brows furrowed in concern, and arms folded across her chest. 

He’s not exactly sure how to answer that, but he guesses he should at least try his best. “Yeah yeah. Murphy and I are fine. Octavia too. But Clarke, Raven’s downstairs.”

Clarke immediately frowns at the news. “What? You let her inside?”

“Look, I know that it hasn’t been easy with her this last year, alright? I understand that. But you need to come downstairs. I think she really needs you right now, even if she won’t say it out loud. She’s a mess, Clarke. Someone really did a number on her.” 

The frown on her face softens. “Someone hit her? How bad?”

“It’s pretty bad.”

“Nobody deserves that,” Clarke states, her voice firm and final. 

He watches as she walks over to the bed, snatches up one of his hoodies to slip on over her head, and then heads for the bedroom door, only stopping when she realizes he isn’t behind her. 

“Let’s go. I’m gonna need you with me if this gets ugly,” she teases and holds out her hand for him to take. 

He does so willingly and follows her out of the room and down the stairs.


	15. She's Family Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really sorry for the late update you guys. I just started my new job on Friday so I kind of spaced out on uploading. But, here we are now. Slowly but surely getting closer to the end. I'm really glad that everyone is enjoying the story and I hope that you enjoy it to the very end. 
> 
> That being said, please enjoy! 
> 
> -Annika

* * *

It takes some coaxing from Clarke and an offer of shelter for the night from Bellamy before Raven is willing to talk. She’s still shivering from her soaked clothes despite the blanket that Murphy had found and wrapped around her shoulders. He’s sitting next to her on the couch, the arm closest to her is on her back and rubbing up and down, trying his best to help her warm-up. 

He gives Bellamy a curious look at one point but Bellamy just waves him off when Raven finally starts talking. They all listen attentively.

“I asked him about what happened at school. He didn’t like that.” Her voice cracks on the last part and she sniffles while keeping her head hung low, her hair falling in front of her face. 

Clarke sits down on the edge of the coffee table in front of Raven and reaches out to place a comforting hand on her knee. “Raven, what happened?”

Raven stares down at her feet on the carpet and shuffles them back and forth. It’s a nervous habit of hers they all know too well from their years of friendship. 

“Finn. He uh...he got so mad. I don’t really know what happened. I’d heard about the fight from Echo and when I asked him what it was about, he just brushed it off. Said it was no big deal. I pushed for more and he...reacted.” She gestures with her hand to the bruising and cuts on her cheek. 

Bellamy, sitting in the chair across from her, leans forward in his seat. “You’re telling us Finn did that to you? Just because you asked him some questions.”

Now, Raven raises her head, eyes going immediately to Bellamy’s. Her lips part like she wants to say something but she can’t seem to find the right words. Then, Clarke gives her leg a gentle squeeze; an encouragement to go on. 

Taking a deep breath, Raven lets it out slowly. “I told him that I knew about Clarke and he punched me in the mouth. And then, when I fell to the ground, he kicked me in the ribs a few times just for good measure.”

“Raven...I’m sorry,” Clarke whispers out through a trembling voice as tears streak her cheeks. “This is all my fault. None of this would’ve happened—”

Raven shakes her head. “No, Clarke, this isn’t on you. We were on a break and you guys hooked up. I don’t care. I wasn’t expecting him to remain abstinent. He’s a pig. Always has been and always will be. I just didn’t really care. Until today.”

“Where is he now?” Murphy speaks up for the first time, hand still on her back.

“He’s still at our place. I think I knocked him out. When he went down, I just ran.”

“Okay then,” Bellamy says, standing from his seat, “Murphy, you’re coming with me. Clarke, you’re gonna stay here with Raven and get her cleaned up. Before you do though, take some pictures of her injuries and how she looks so you can send them to me.”

The other three watch in shared confusion as Bellamy moves to grab his jacket and boots from the closet, tossing Murphy his jacket as he does. 

Catching it, Murphy pulls it on before standing up and grabbing his shoes out from underneath the coffee table and slipping them on. He doesn’t bother questioning anything happening even when Bellamy tosses him the keys to his car and tells him to wait for him outside. Murphy only grumbles about how cold it is but there isn’t much bite to it as he exits the house and shuts the door behind him. 

“Wait, where are you going?” Clarke doesn’t sound worried when she asks, only confused. 

Bellamy leans down to press a kiss to the top of her head and then presses one to his fingers to press to her belly. “Don’t worry. We’re gonna figure this out. Roan still on the force?”

Clarke nods. Her uncle has been a detective for as long as she can remember and honestly, he and Bellamy don’t get along very well. She does not have high hopes for whatever he has planned that involves Roan. 

“Good. Alright.” He turns to face Raven, her head bowed again but this time her hair is tucked back behind her ears. “Raven, you’ll stay here for as long as you like. No rush to leave. And as for Finn, well, we’ll make sure he doesn’t come anywhere near you again, I promise.”

In the blink of an eye, Raven is up on her feet, arms wrapped around Bellamy, and her face buried in his neck. She’s sobbing into his shoulder, he can feel the wetness of her tears as they soak through the fabric of his shirt but he doesn’t mind. He just wraps his arms around her, holding her close and letting her cry. And when she mumbles out a thank you into his shoulder, he pulls back and gives her a smile and kiss to the forehead before slipping on his jacket and exiting the house, the door closing behind him. 

It takes Clarke only minutes to catalog the injuries on Raven’s body and then she’s ushering the other girl up the stairs and toward the bathroom so she can clean up. She helps Raven figure out how to work the shower—it’d been changed since the last time she’d been there five years ago—and then leaves her to hopefully find some clothes she can wear through the night. 

In the end, she grabs a pair of her old sweatpants, a worn-out baseball tee, and a pair of Octavia’s fuzzy socks that keep getting put in Clarke’s laundry. It isn’t much but she figures it’ll do for now. 

Hearing the shower turn off, Clarke makes her way from her bedroom back to the bathroom and knocks lightly on the door. “Raven, I’ve got some extra clothes out here for you. If you just wanna crack the door open, I can set them on the counter.”

There’s no response. 

“Raven, honey, is everything okay?”

Again, no response. 

Worried, Clarke reaches out and twists the doorknob, surprised when it twists without resistance and she’s able to push the door open and peer inside. Raven stands in front of the mirror, hair sopping wet and dripping onto the fresh towel wrapped around her body. Her eyes are staring wide at herself in the mirror as she’s finally able to take in her appearance completely. Clarke wants to say something but she can’t. She knows what she wants to say but she just can’t find the right words. 

“I thought he was going to kill me.” She doesn’t break eye contact with herself when she speaks, only lets her eyes wander slowly down her body and back up again. And then, like a damn, she breaks and falls to the ground, sobs being ripped from her body. 

Clarke rushes forward and sits on the edge of the tub where she grabs Raven by the shoulders and pulls her in between her legs, letting the trembling girl rest her head on her knee. 

***

Raven cries herself to sleep that night, bundled up beneath the covers in the guest bedroom and unaware of Bellamy and Clarke checking in on her from the doorway. 

“I know she hasn’t been a good person or friend lately, but thank you for helping her,” Clarke whispers to Bellamy from where she stands against his side, his arm slung over her shoulders and holding her close. He’s leaning up against the doorframe but shifts a little bit when he cranes his neck to look her in the eyes.

“Hey,” he whispers back, a hint of a smile on his lips, “she’s always been a good person. She just did some bad things. None of the matters, though. She needed us and we were there for her. She’s family now.”

She smiles back at him and raises up on her tippy toes to press a kiss to his lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I wasn't even going to give Raven that much of a storyline but as I was writing the story, her story kind of wrote itself. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but I very much enjoy her sort of redemtion/survivor story. It wasn't what I had planned but I'm glad it's what happened. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think!
> 
> -Annika


	16. A Perfect Fit

Raven has been staying with them for a little over a week when Octavia decides it’s time for them all to get out of the house for some overdue “girl time”. They try to argue but it’s no use when Octavia gangs up on them with Echo, Emori, and Harper all in her corner. The two girls groan but there’s really no heat behind it as they trail along behind the other girls on their trek through the mall. 

With Prom fast approaching, and Clarke, Raven, and Emori without dresses, they figure it’s time to bunker down and find something soon. Otherwise, they’ll all be wearing last year’s dresses and Octavia cannot let that slide. It isn’t technically even her Prom since she’s still only a sophomore, but because she’s dating Lincoln who’s a Junior, she’s able to go this year. 

The six girls end up on the upper level of the mall in one of the formal wear stores that surprisingly isn’t as busy as some of the other ones. So they browse the racks, starting at the front and working their way towards the back of the store where the fitting rooms are. 

It doesn’t take long for them to each pull a few dresses from the racks, Octavia and Harper giggling over the few horrible ones that they’ve pulled to try on just for fun. Emori goes in first, carrying with her the four dresses that Echo had helped her find. 

Echo, who apparently had already purchased her outfit for Prom, stands off to the side of the fitting rooms, leaning up against one of the support columns with a book in hand. 

“So we’re all gonna take a limo together, right?” Octavia asks as she plops down in the chair next to Clarke, throwing her legs over the side so her back is to Clarke. 

Raven glances up from her phone at the younger girl, one eyebrow quirked. “Well, that depends. Are you gonna shell out $900 to rent it for the night?” 

Octavia shoots up in her seat. “900!? No, no, the website said 100, maybe 150 max.”

“Yeah, per hour maybe.” Harper leans over from her chair on the other side of Clarke. “But for the whole night, it’s at least $900.”

“Well shit.” Flopping back in her seat, Octavia lets her head tip back over the arm of the chair.

The sound of curtains opening draws all of their attention over to the fitting room just in time to see Emori step out. She’s dressed in a sapphire blue dress, a high slit up the left side of the skirt reaching just above her thigh, high enough to show off the intricate  _ Harry Potter _ tattoo she has that takes up the majority of her skin. It’s the biggest one she has and by far her favorite so it’s no wonder that all of the dresses she chose have slits in the skirts. 

“So, what do you guys think?” Grabbing the skirt in her hands, Emori turns in a circle to show off the back of the dress as well. 

Clarke smiles up at her friend. “Emori, it’s beautiful. The color looks great on you. But, have you tried the other ones on yet? You don’t want to make a hasty decision.”

“Yeah, I tried the other ones but they just didn’t work. The pink one and the other blue one wouldn’t zip up all the way. While that really, really nice black one that we found was just a little too big for my boobs.” She relays the information to her friends while spinning around to admire herself in the mirror standing next to the fitting room. Satisfied with the look of the dress, Emori forgoes changing back into her street clothes and instead plops down onto the chair seated behind Raven. 

“Alrighty then, Clarke.” Octavia sits up in her seat, clapping her hands together and twisting around to fully face Clarke. “Now that Emori’s done, it’s your turn.”

Harper and Emori cheer in agreement but Clarke shakes her head and waves them off. “No, no, no. My feet are still way too sore right now. Besides, I’m really curious to see what Raven picked out.”

Hearing her name pulls Raven’s attention away from whatever she was doing on her phone and she looks up at her friends, all of their gazes now fixed on her. Their eyes are wide and hopeful and she just can’t find it in her to refuse. So, with a slight turn up of her lips, Raven pockets her phone, pushes up off the floor and gathers the few dresses she found taking them into the room with her. 

The moment the curtain slides closed, Harper moves to sit on the floor where Raven had previously been so she can start up a conversation with Emori and Octavia. 

Hands resting on her belly, Clarke glances over at Echo, back still up against the pillar but her book is now resting on the ground at her feet, having been replaced by her phone. Clarke lets her mind wander to the thoughts she has about how many books Echo can actually read in a day when a noise from the fitting room catches her attention. 

She looks over just as Raven steps out in all her glory. She’s grinning like a Cheshire cat when she spins around, the bottom of the dress billowing out around her. The deep red fabric compliments her skin tone and the neckline is just barely acceptable with how much cleavage it’s probably going to be showing the night of the dance. The other girls hoot and holler at her as she struts back and forth, a laugh bubbling up and out when Octavia grabs dollar bills from her wallet to toss at her as she walks by. 

Clarke grins wildly at her friend, pleased to see her enjoying herself for the first time in what feels like forever. It took her a couple of days to really start acting like herself again after everything that went down with Finn, and now here she is. Out with the same girls she’s known practically her entire life, each one of them welcoming her back into their group with open arms. 

Echo still has a ways to go before she’s completely willing to forgive Raven for everything she’s done since being with Finn, but at least she was willing. That’s what is most important. 

“Clarke?” Suddenly Raven is standing in front of her, smile still bright and hands stretched out to help her up from her seat.

“My turn already?”

Raven nods and grabs ahold of Clarke’s hands to pull her up, grip tightening when Clarke stumbles a little but is still able to find her footing. She smiles in thanks to Raven and then grabs the only two dresses she was able to find that would potentially work with her bump, taking them into the room with her. 

“If it feels too tight, just suck in! That always works.” She hears Octavia yell from outside. 

She’s about to respond when she hears Echo speak first, “She’s pregnant, you idiot. She can’t just suck it in.”

Clarke chuckles and begins stripping off her street clothes while her two friends bicker like children. Once she’s down to just her bra and shorts, Clarke picks up the first dress and unzips the back of it so she can slip it on over her head. It’s a clean white dress with a crossover neckline and a high waistline that fits perfectly over her belly. She zips it up as best she can but gives up the struggle when she realizes that the zipper just won’t budge any higher. Huffing out of both frustration, and the fact that she feels like crying, she reaches behind her to tug the zipper back down but when it won’t budge, she feels the tears stinging at her eyes. She tugs and tugs but nothing gives. 

“Dammit!” she cries out in frustration, this time with some tears spilling from her eyes. 

The muffled talking outside stops and there’s some soft noises before the curtain is pulled aside and Raven sticks her head in. 

“Clarke, are you doing okay in here?”

“I can’t get this damn dress off,” she can’t stop the way her voice shakes and cracks when she speaks and she hates it. “The zipper is stuck.”

Raven doesn’t say anything but instead steps further into the fitting room and stands behind Clarke, her fingers wrapping around the zipper and giving it a gentle tug. It moves down and Clarke lets out a sigh of relief, albeit, one muddled with tears that she can’t seem to make stop. She raises her arms up so Raven can slip the dress up and over her head. When she’s bare once more, she moves to grab her jeans from where she had left them on the little stool in the corner but Raven stops her before she can with a hand on her arm.

“You’ve still got one more.” 

Clarke knows that Raven’s not asking her to try the other one on. No, she’s telling her that she’s going to try it on. Whether Clarke actually wants to or not is a whole other thing. Then again, Clarke does really want to at least see how the dress looks on her before she decides she’s not getting it. She’s already made her decision but figures there’s no harm in humoring the others and trying it on. 

Just for them.

The dress looks way more beautiful than she thought it would and now she’s wishing she never tried it on in the first place. She doesn’t want to take it off. The deep blue color of the fabric catches her eye more than it did on the rack and there’s just something about it. The straps are braided and the top is a crossover with a wide high waist that sits perfectly on her bump. It’s loose and flows down around her until it touches the floor 

“Clarke, it’s perfect,” Raven says from behind Clarke, her hands holding Clarke by the arms and her chin resting on one of Clarke’s shoulders. 

She runs her hands over the fabric that’s pulled across her belly and can’t help the smile that forms on her lips.

“Yeah. It is.” 

Raven lifts her chin from Clarke’s shoulders so that Clarke can turn around and face her. “Think we should show them now?”

Clarke nods and lets Raven reach over and pull back the curtain so she can step out in front of their friends. None of them say anything as Clarke steps further out, Raven following behind, and smooths out the dress while turning in a circle to show off every detail. 

“So,” she says hesitantly when she comes to a stop facing the other girls, “what do you guys think?”

Octavia, Harper, and Emori sit together on the floor and stare at her, eyes wide and smiles on all of their faces. Echo, as always, shows no emotion save for a small smirk toying at her lips. 

“Damn dude,” Octavia blurts, her smile twisting into a smirk as well, “you don’t even look pregnant.”

Her comment earns her a smack on the back of the head from Echo who has since moved to sit on the chair behind the three girls. She yelps and turns around to glare at the older girl while rubbing the back of her head.

Clarke laughs. “Thanks, O.”

“I think what little miss octagon here meant to say was, you look hot, Clarke,” Echo pipes up from her spot behind the other girls, a genuine smile showing on her face. 

Octavia glares at her once more for the teasing nickname but when all she gets in return is a smirk, she turns back around and pouts. 

“Well thank you, Echo. And thanks all of you too. This was fun. I think we all needed a little girl time.”

The other girls cheer in agreement and all move from where they are into the middle of the floor for a giant group hug. Echo tries to refuse but can’t manage to get away when Emori and Octavia each grab a wrist and pull her into the group embrace. 

In the end, they all leave happy. Clarke, Raven, and Emori each with their dress for the dance, Octavia with a new pair of shoes she assures them all that she needs, and Harper and Echo chatting with each other about the latest book assigned to them for their English class. All in all, it was a good day. 

Clarke is glad that they were all able to spend time together with everything that’s been going on. With four of them graduating soon, they aren’t sure how much time they all have left together. Harper had asked her at the beginning of the year if, even after graduation, they would all still keep in touch. Clarke assured her that they would. Promised her that she would make sure they would all stay together. She only hopes that she’ll be able to keep it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading this week's chapter! I'm so thrilled that we've made it this far. Only a few more until the final chapter. I can't wait for you all to read the end. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Please, let me know what you think in the comments down below. I love to hear from all of you.
> 
> -Annika


	17. A Blast From the Past

“So let me get this straight, no pun intended”—Lexa smirks at her own joke but continues on—“you are already thirty-six weeks pregnant and are going to be dancing at Prom.”

Clarke sips on her cup of tea, the aroma from the herbs soothing the headache that had been in her head all day. “Yep. That’s about right.”   
Lexa nods and sets her cup of coffee down on the side table next to the couch where she sits across from Clarke in the middle of the coffee house, her bag, and leather jacket laying on the cushion beside her.

“And you seriously don’t see how that could all go terribly wrong?” She watches as Clarke takes another sip of her tea and then sets it down on the table next to her chair and sits back as best she can to stretch out her back. 

“I know it’s risky, alright? Bellamy and I have talked about it and we both understand the risks. We’ve agreed that I won’t be doing any of the really strenuous dances and I promised to tell him if I start feeling tired, uncomfortable, or too stressed out.”

“Clarke…” Lexa’s voice has a firm warning tone to it that Clarke knows all too well. 

“Hey, you don’t have to worry about me, alright? I’ll be fine,” Clarke assures the other girl with a smile. “Besides, it’s not your job to worry about me anymore. I’ve got Bellamy for that now.”

Lexa gives her a look but it doesn’t last long before she’s chuckling. “Yeah. I guess you do. But, you know I’m always gonna worry about you. No matter what.”

Clarke returns the smile that Lexa sends her way. “I know. And I appreciate it.”

It’s been a while since either of them has had any time to talk to the other so this rare moment is nice. They’d only dated for a little over eight months during Clarke’s Freshman year and Lexa’s Junior year but even after breaking up, they still were able to remain friends. Clarke is proud of that fact, honestly. When she’d broken up with her girlfriend before Lexa, well, it’d been less than pleasant. So she’s glad to still have Lexa involved in her life. 

“Hey,” Lexa’s voice interrupts her thoughts, green eyes gazing concernedly at her, “what’s going on in that head of yours?”

“It’s nothing really. I’m just thinking.”

Lexa presses on, “About anything in particular?”

Clarke thinks about her question for a moment. If she’s being completely honest, she was thinking about how crazy her life has become. She hadn’t really thought about it before, at least, not lately. 

“Do you have regrets?”

“What do you mean?” Lexa asks, leaning back into the couch, arms thrown up across the back and legs propped up on the coffee table in the middle of their seats, one ankle crossed over the other. 

Clarke sighs. “I mean, is there even one thing in your life that you regret? Something you did or didn’t do? Something that happened that you wish you could take back?”

Lexa remains silent after Clarke asks her questions. She isn’t really sure how to answer any of them. Sure there are many things in her life that she regrets, but none of them are of much importance to either of them really. So, she settles on the one thing that probably carries more weight.

“I regret not telling my parents I loved them before they died,” she speaks softly but Clarke still hears her nonetheless. They’d only talked about her parents a few times but Clarke knows everything. “I had been so mad at them for something that seems incredibly stupid now, and I let them leave without saying I love them. I didn’t even say goodbye.”

“They knew, Lexa. They knew you loved them. You didn’t have to say it.”

Lexa’s smile is weak and she can feel the tears stinging her eyes at Clarke’s words. “I know that. I just still wish I had told them.”

“You know, there’s only one thing in my life that I regret.”

“And what would that be?” Lexa asks, now seemingly more composed than she was just a few seconds ago.

“I regret the fact that me getting pregnant, is the only reason that Bellamy and I are actually together.”

Lexa chuckles and nods as she takes another drink of her coffee, the corners of her lips turned up in an amused smile. “The only reason, huh? ‘Cause we both know that boy has been crushing on you for almost as long as you’ve been crushing on him. You guys were bound to get together sooner or later.”

Clarke feels her face warm and turns her head to cough, trying to draw attention away from the flush that is inevitably creeping its way up her face. 

“Cough all you want, sweetie, but we all know the truth. You two were always going to end up together. It was meant to be. You can’t deny that you both have feelings for each other, can you?” she asks the question as more of a statement seeing as how they both know the answer to it already. 

When the blonde girl says nothing, Lexa throws her arms up in exasperation. “For heaven’s sake, Clarke! You guys are engaged! Doesn’t that tell you anything? I mean, you love the idiot, don’t you?”

Clarke turns back to the brunette, eyes wide and mouth gaping slightly, the flush now was gone from her skin. “Of course, I love him. And he loves me.”

“Then why are you being so...innocent about all of this? You’re blushing like a catholic school girl.”

“It’s just…” Clarke hesitates, not quite sure if she wants to confess to what she was about to say. But one look at Lexa and she realizes she isn’t going to have much of a choice. 

“What? Spit it out already.”

“I didn’t break up with you because I realized I wasn’t ready for a relationship. I broke up with you because I realized how...strong my feelings for Bellamy actually were. And I just couldn’t be with you knowing that the feelings I had for one of my best friends, were stronger than the ones I had for my girlfriend. I didn’t want to hurt you. So I lied.”

Lexa says nothing, only lifts her cup to her lips and takes a drink once more, her eyes still locked on Clarke as she finishes off the last of her coffee. She sets the empty cup down on the table and leans back into the couch, crossing her ankles on the table once more. “Yeah, Clarke. I know.”

Clarke feels her stomach drop. “What do you mean you know?” 

“I knew why you broke up with me from day one. It wasn’t really a surprise. I saw it coming a million miles away.”

“But you never said anything about it,” Clarke says this like it’s big news but they both know how once the break up happened, they never even spoke about it again. Barely even talked about their relationship at all. “Why?”

Sighing, Lexa drops her feet and removes her arms from the back of the couch so she can lean forward, letting her elbows rest on her knees. “Because I knew how you felt about that mophead going into it. I knew that you had feelings for him, but I was happy with it being about us. For a while that is. I saw the way you were starting to pull away and I knew the reason why.”

“But you never said anything,” Clarke tries to keep her voice even but knows she’s failing. Talking about their failed romance is not helping her crazy hormones whatsoever. “You never even argued about me breaking it off.”

A sad sort of smile appears on Lexa’s lips but her eyes are filled with something almost like happiness. “Who am I to stand in the way of true love? We weren’t meant to be, Clarke. But you and Bellamy? You guys are.”


	18. Soft and Sweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So, I know that this last season has been a bit of a disaster and it's safe to say that we're basically not happy with it. At all. I just hope that these last few chapters give you something to look forward to. I really do. Cause I think we all need something to look forward to. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!!! 
> 
> -Annika

* * *

The house is quiet when she gets home a few hours later, the only light in the house is the setting sun coming in through the windows. Clarke lets the door close behind her as she kicks off her slip-on tennis shoes and hangs her keys up on the last available hook on the wall by the front door. She tugs off her jean jacket as she steps further into the house, folding it in half and draping it across the back of the couch. 

Caressing the swell of her belly through the material of her dress, Clarke slowly walks through the living room and towards the stairs where she flips on the light switch at the bottom of the staircase before proceeding up to the top floor. She reaches the landing at the top of the stairs when she hears the soft sound of music coming through the closed door of their newly furnished nursery. 

She approaches the room and leans in pressing her ear to the door to hear the music more clearly. The smooth sounds of her art playlist on Spotify are immediately recognizable and she smiles to herself. It’s a bunch of her favorite songs to listen to whenever she sits and draws and despite his denial, she knows that Bellamy finds it calming. This is just her proof.

Slowly, she turns the knob and pushes the door open, slipping inside and closing it again behind her. He doesn’t hear her when she comes in, her feet soft on the carpet as she moves across the room over to where he sits on the floor in front of the window, legs crossed underneath him. His phone lays on the floor next to him, the music playing from its speakers. She stops a few steps behind him, taking a minute to really take in all that she sees. 

Two piles of baby clothes are stacked up in front of him, along with four pairs of baby shoes. The two new cribs that Marcus had bought for them the week prior now sit up against the walls, one on each side of the room. Each one has its own blanket draped over the outside railing, both a deep shade of blue. Harper had gifted them with the blankets after the girls’ shopping trip and Clarke couldn’t have been more grateful. 

“Hey,” she says softly when she steps forward and places her hands on his shoulders, squeezing gently. 

He leans into her touch, letting his head drop onto her hand. “Hey. Did you just get home?”

She nods. “Yeah. Lexa dropped me off. She says hi by the way.”

“Did you guys have a good time? I know it’s been a while since you two talked.”

“It has been a while,” Clarke agrees as she moves around him to sit on the floor in front of him, tapping his leg with her foot so he’ll spread them apart for her to sit with him. He obliges and lets her sit in between his legs, her back leaning up against him and the skirt of her dress bunching up to just underneath her belly. 

He wraps his arms around her, letting his hands come to rest with hers on top of her belly. “How is she doing?”

“She’s doing good. Really good, actually. She’s back in school for teaching I think. Oh, and, she has a girlfriend.”

Bellamy chuckles. “Really? That’s awesome. Good for her.”

“Yeah. Her name is Alicia. She’s a dancer. Going to school for it. Apparently, she wants to open her own dance studio.”

“Wow. Ambitious. Well, I wish them the best then.”

Clarke hums in response while she leans further back into Bellamy, her dress pulling up higher as she scoots down, turning her head to let her cheek rest against his chest. He lets his chin come to rest on top of her head while tracing calming patterns with his finger along the now exposed skin of her belly. The music fills the room as they both close their eyes and just let themselves sit there with each other. 

With everything going on, they haven’t had much time to just be themselves. It’s something that they’ve missed, a lot. And with the babies coming soon, they aren't going to have it for very much longer. 

“Bell, can you promise me something?” she speaks so softly that she’s not sure he hears her, but he does.

“Anything.”

She sits up so she can look him in the eyes, her own glossy with unshed tears. “Promise me that no matter what, we’ll always find time to just be us. That even if we argue or get on each other’s nerves, we’ll still know that we love each other. I need you to promise me that. Please.”

Removing his hands from her belly, Bellamy brings them up to hold her face, his thumbs wiping away the few tears that had fallen. 

She leans into his touch and smiles. 

“Clarke, I promise you that no matter what, you will always know how much I love you. Even if we’re both so overwhelmed and tired, I will always find time to make sure that you and our kids know just how much I love you.”

“That’s a pretty big promise. I’m gonna hold you to it,” her words are teasing but he knows the sincerity and emotion behind them.

He smiles at her, his glossy eyes now matching hers. “I would expect nothing less.”

Their lips meet in a sweet and chaste kiss, his hands on the sides of her face and her hands coming to rest, one on the back of his neck and the other on his chest. It’s not the most comfortable position, but neither of them can really find it in them to care all that much. The only thing that matters right now, is that they are there together. All four of them.


	19. A Night To Remember

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost to the end everyone. Only one more chapter after this one and then we reach the end. It's strange. It took me so long to write this story and I'm very very pleased with how it's turned out. I'm so happy that you all have enjoyed it. 
> 
> Now, a quick note on the side: My sister and I are planning on creating our own Fangirl podcast in the coming week. Our very first episode is going to be us discussing Season 7 and all of the controversy surrounding JRoth and the cast. Each following week, we will pick a topic for discussion and that will be the episode. The Podcast as a whole is going to be Fangirl/Fandom related topics. We're very excited and I hope you all come and join us. We'd love to have you.
> 
> That being said, please enjoy!
> 
> -Annika

* * *

Clarke stops just before the entrance to the ballroom, one hand on her stomach and the other clutching the skirt of her dress as she breathes in and out steadily. She’s been trying to ignore the constant uncomfortable feeling in her abdomen for the last day but it’s still there. She can still feel it in her back and then in her belly. She has to push it aside, though. It isn’t anything serious. At least, that’s what she told Octavia when the younger girl came up beside her, urging Lincoln to go on ahead and assuring him that they’d catch up. 

“Clarke, are you okay? What’s wrong?” She sounds concerned and Clarke hates that she’s the cause but also knows that if she doesn’t say something, it’ll just get worse. 

Slowly, she unclenches her fist as the discomfort finally starts to subside. “I’m good. I’m good. It’s over now. Nothing to worry about.” 

Octavia doesn’t seem to buy her story, cocking a perfectly trimmed eyebrow and crossing her arms across her chest. “Clarke, if there’s something going on, you better tell me right now. If you don’t then I’m just going to go inside and get Bellamy. Do you want that?” 

For a fifteen-year-old, she’s remarkably terrifying. And highly persuasive. 

“Fine. I’ve been having some...discomfort in my abdomen and back for the last day or so. It’s nothing, really. I promise.” She isn’t sure if she’s trying to convince Octavia or herself. Obviously, though, the younger girl isn’t anywhere near convinced. Her arms drop to her sides and her mouth gapes open just slightly as her eyes dart down to Clarke’s belly and then back up to meet her eyes. 

“Clarke, are you sure you’re not having a contraction?”

“What? No. Of course not.”

Octavia steps closer, her voice dropping in volume. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m sure, alright? I’m only thirty-six weeks. I am not going into labor. I can’t be. Not now.”

Octavia grabs one of Clarke’s hands in hers. “Clarke—”

“No, Octavia.” Clarke can feel the tears prickling at the corners of her eyes and prays that Octavia won’t be able to pick up on the shakiness of her voice as she speaks, “This isn’t happening. Do you hear me? I cannot ruin everyone’s prom by going into labor. I cannot be that selfish.”

“Clarke.” She gives Clarke a sympathetic look as she raises a hand to wipe away a stray tear with her finger. “This may be the one and only time that you actually get to be selfish, alright? It’s okay. Just, stay calm and promise to let one of us know if somethings wrong, okay? Can you promise me that?”

Clarke nods and sniffles. “Yeah. I promise.”

“Alrighty then, I think we’ve kept everyone waiting long enough. Let’s go.” Octavia smiles as she turns to face the doors and offers her elbow for Clarke to take. Returning the smile, Clarke loops her arm with Octavia’s and takes a deep breath before they push open the doors and step through. 

The party is already in full swing by the time they pass through the doors and into the large space. The music is blaring through the speakers hooked up around the room and the lights seem to almost pulse along with the beat of the music as kids dance around the floor. 

The two girls watch in wonder and amusement as their classmate's party with one another, fully aware that this may be the last bit of fun most of them will have until Graduation. It makes Clarke smile somewhat bittersweetly at the notion of their senior year coming to a close so soon. 

“You okay?” Clarke looks over at the familiar voice to find Bellamy approaching, a concerned look written all across his face. 

She nods and separates from Octavia, her arm coming to loop around Bellamy’s waist as she leans into his side. “Yeah. I’m good.”

He doesn’t look convinced. “You sure?”

“Mhm. Just thinking about how lucky I am to be able to be here with you right now.” She tilts her head to look up at him, smiling when he ducks his head to press a kiss to her forehead. 

“Alrighty, if you two are just gonna be mushy all night, then I’m gonna go be with my date. Have fun,” Octavia call, sending a wave in their direction as she takes off towards where Lincoln stands waiting for her by the refreshments table. Reaching him, she takes the offered glass from his hand and, using her other one, grabs him by the back of the neck to pull him down for a kiss. 

Bellamy averts his gaze and mumbles something under his breath about ‘his baby sister being corrupted’. 

Knowing he’s relatively all bark and no bite, Clarke huffs a laugh and hits him in the chest. “Stop it. She’s happy with him so be nice. He’s a good guy.”

He grumbles again but there’s not as much venom behind it so she marks it down as progress. 

Holding on to her date, Clarke walks with him over to a somewhat empty table and lets him pull a chair back for her so she can take a seat, Bellamy sitting down beside her. She rests her hand on his shoulder and takes in the party around her while Bellamy starts up a polite conversation with the Senior sitting across from them. 

She scans the room for their friends, smiling when her eyes land on Murphy and Emori sitting next to each other at a table on the opposite side of the room. Their chairs are pulled close together and Emori is leaning up against Murphy, her head resting on his shoulder. His arm is resting loosely around her shoulder, his fingers tracing soothing patterns on the exposed skin of her shoulder. Her sapphire dress catches the light of the hanging lanterns strung up all around the ceiling and Clarke thinks of how just right the purchase of said dress truly was. 

Murphy looks away from watching their fellow classmates on the dance floor and his eyes meet with Clarkes. She smiles at him and waves. He smiles back and then jerks his head towards the stage where the band is currently playing. 

Clarke furrows her brow but looks to where Murphy was telling her and when she sees it, her eyes widen and her jaw drops. 

Echo is dancing directly in front of the stage, her arms wrapped around her date’s neck, and a soft smile on her lips. Her hair has been left hanging over her shoulders in loose waves and the black lace of her jumpsuit seems to match perfectly with the black lace that covers the bodice and skirt of her date's dress. Clarke vaguely recognizes the girl from her Spanish class; a junior named Meg. She’s beaming brightly at Echo, her thick dark curls pulled into a bun high up on her head. Meg says something that Clarke can’t hear but it must have been something wonderful because seconds later, Echo is smiling brighter than before and soon her lips are pressed against Meg’s. 

Clarke squeezes Bellamy’s shoulder and points over to the two girls. They watch as Echo pulls back and then the two girls are laughing and Meg is pulling Echo back in for another kiss. 

“Damn.” Bellamy smiles and lets out a huff of laughter, “It’s about time.” 

Clarke’s head snaps to his. “You knew?”

“You didn’t?” His smile morphs into a teasing smirk when Clarke hits him in the chest again. 

“What did I just tell you about being nice? Now, will you go get me some punch, please?”

Bellamy turns his head to look at her and presses a kiss to the tip of her nose. “Only because I know your feet hurt.” 

She smiles at him as he gets up from the table and makes his way across the dance floor and over to the refreshments table. Mere seconds pass before his seat is taken, a smiling Raven now taking his place. 

“You’ll never guess what just happened!” Raven is practically bouncing in her seat, face flushed pink, and what seems to be a permanent smile on her face. 

Clarke leans back in her chair and returns the smile. “You’re right. I’ll never guess so just tell me.”

Raven’s eyes dart around before she leans in close to Clarke and whispers, “Miles Shaw just asked me on a date.”

She was right. Clarke never would’ve guessed that. She’s only ever spoken to Miles a handful of times but she knows from others about his crush on her friend. It really wasn’t much of a secret. And neither was Raven’s interest in him if her reaction now was anything to go by. 

“Raven, that’s awesome. Congrats.” She leans forward and pulls Raven into a hug. Raven hugs back but the embrace doesn’t last long. 

Without warning, Clarke is shoving Raven back and quickly gripping the edge of her seat. Discomfort radiates throughout her abdomen, the feeling starting in her lower back and quickly moving to the front. She can feel Raven’s hand coming to rest on her shoulder in an attempt to offer some sort of comfort but all she can feel is the intensity of the pain growing. 

“Clarke, are you okay? What’s going on?” Raven sounds worried, upset even, at seeing Clarke in such distress. 

She wants to tell Raven that it’s fine. That it’s nothing to worry about, but she knows now that that’s not true. This is happening now whether she likes it or not. 

She raises her gaze to look Raven directly in her worried gaze. “It’s a, uh—it's a contraction. I’ve been having them for the, uh, the last day or so.”

“And you didn’t say anything? Why the hell not?” 

“Because,” Clarke huffs out, her frustration with having to explain herself once again getting to her, “I didn’t want to ruin anyone’s night. Now, will you please go find Bellamy and Octavia?”

Raven looks at her in bewilderment, completely baffled as to why Clarke thought that way, but then feels it best to not argue with her at the moment. Not in her current predicament that is. Finally nodding, Raven shoots up from her seat and hurries off in the direction that Bellamy was last seen. 

Clarke watches her disappear into the crowd and grows impatient when she doesn’t return. Fed up with being left alone and uncomfortable beyond all belief, Clarke slowly rises from her chair and shuffles away from the table. She keeps one hand resting securely on her belly and starts to move towards where Raven disappeared to when a feeling comes over her. An uneasy feeling that makes her nervous. The feeling doesn’t last long though when she quickly feels a warm sensation flowing down her leg.

“Clarke, what’s going on?” 

She looks up from staring down at the small puddle now forming below her feet and meets Octavia’s worried gaze. “My water just broke.”


	20. The End of The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, gang, we've reached the end at last. It's been a bit of a journey, let me tell you, but we've finally made it. When I first started this story, I had some doubts about how it would turn out and how the story itself would come to be but, in the end, I'm very proud of what has been written. Thank you all so much for coming along for the ride and I'm so happy that you all have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Even though this is the end, I do have plans to write a time jump of sorts. Just a small one-shot showing where all of our favorites end up, but I am very excited to write it. 
> 
> That being said, please enjoy the last chapter of All In. 
> 
> -Love you all, Annika

* * *

The moments after her declaration all seem to blur together. She remembers telling Octavia what was happening and remembers the nervous and frightened look on the younger girl’s face.

The music blaring from the speakers seems to melt away when Bellamy is finally in her line of sight, hurrying towards her with almost an identical look as his sister’s on his face. He asks her if she’s okay and all she can do is nod when another contraction hits and she squeezes her eyes shut, breathing in and out the way they were shown in class. 

“Clarke, hey, think you can make it out to the car?” his voice is soft and warm and full of concern from where he stands in front of her, letting her hold his wrists to keep herself upright as the contraction tapers off. 

She takes a deep breath and finds it easier to stand up straighter. “Uh, yeah. I think I can.”

“Okay. Let’s get you out of here, yeah? Our things are already in the trunk and the others are gonna follow behind, okay?”

She nods once again, not trusting herself to speak when she barely feels like she can stand. Bellamy nods to their friends circling around her in an attempt to keep prying eyes away for at least a few minutes so they can get her out. He moves to stand next to her, letting go of one wrist but keeping a secure hold on the other, and starts walking with her towards the exit. 

She can see Murphy up ahead of them pushing people aside to make room for them to get through and she smiles softly at him when they pass by. He returns the smile and then turns back to all of the teens craning their heads to get a good look at what’s happening. 

A thought hits her as they’re slowly and carefully making their way down the steps and she stops. “Bellamy.”

He stops and turns to look at her. “What is it? We’re almost there.”

“My mom. I need to call my mom, please.” 

Abby Griffin in the room with them, while her daughter gives birth, is the last thing Bellamy wants and he thinks the look he gives her says as much.

“Bellamy, please. She’s my mom and I want her there with me. I need her there.”

He can’t argue with her when he knows it’s something that means so much to her. So instead, he lets out a long sigh and nods. “Okay. Alright. I’ll have Octavia call from the road. Can we go now?”

***

They make it to the hospital in what has to be record time, Bellamy pulling into the parking lot and putting the car into park before climbing out and coming around the front to help Clarke from the passenger seat. 

Octavia stumbles out of the backseat tripping on her dress and grabs their bags from the trunk before following them up the front steps and through the hospital doors. 

“Hello there, can I help you?” A nurse greets them when they make it through the front hallway and stop at the nurses’ station. She’s a young lady with dark hair, glasses, and a frighteningly cheery disposition. The name tag pinned to her scrubs reads, ‘Alie Neilson, RN’ in big bold letters. She smiles at them over her computer screen and waits patiently for them to explain the situation.

Bellamy takes the lead. “Hi. Yeah uh, my name is Bellamy Blake and this is Clarke. She’s in labor right now with twins and we’re not exactly sure what is going to happen.”

Nurse Neilson gives him a strange look but says nothing. Instead, she watches as another contraction seems to hit and Clarke doubles over, the pain getting more intense with each one. Her eyes dart back to Bellamy and then she fixes her gaze on her computer screen and begins typing. 

“Alrighty then. Patient’s full name?” She looks at Bellamy expectantly and he rolls his eyes but complies with the request. 

“Clarke Marie Griffin.”

Her nails click-clack against the keys as she inputs the information. “Okay, Clarke, and can you just confirm your date of birth for me please?”

Clarke waits for the last of the pain to subside and then she takes a deep breath and stands up a little straighter.

“October 16, 2002.”

“Okay. If you three just wanna take a seat right over there, I’ll let the doctor know you’re here and we can see about getting you a room.” She points them over to the waiting area, the small room filled with uncomfortable plastic chairs and patients in varying degrees of emergencies. Clarke thanks the nurse and then lets Bellamy lead her over to three available chairs. She takes a seat in the middle of the three, Bellamy sitting on her left and Octavia on her right, the bags placed at her feet. 

Octavia leans over and drapes her arm across Clarke’s shoulders. “How are you feeling, Clarke? Are you doing okay?” 

Clarke smiles at the girl and nods. “Yeah. I’m okay. I’ll be a lot better though when these babies are out of me.”

“Don’t worry.” Bellamy takes one of her hands in his and squeezes. “Everything is going to be fine, and sooner than you know it, we’ll be holding those little monsters in our arms. I promise you, everything is going to be okay.”

“I know it is.” She smiles at both of them and then leans over and presses her lips to Bellamy’s in a sweet chaste kiss. 

She pulls away, a smile still on her face, and whispers, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he whispers back, sporting a soft smile of his own. He holds tightly to her hand, rubbing soothing circles on her back as they wait for the doctor to get them. Not too much longer now. And then they’ll have their babies in their arms.

***  
  


If Clarke had known how long and excruciating the labor of her twins was going to be, she might not have gone through with it. But she knows deep down that she still would have. Despite the thirteen-hour labor and pushing two humans out of her nether regions, she wouldn’t change a single moment. Except for maybe the whole going into labor at prom thing. She certainly could have done without that.

But now everything is settled down, everyone’s calm, she’s only minimally sore despite everything, and she has her children in the world now. Her two beautiful babies are here and she’s now officially a mom. She can hardly believe it. But then she looks at the bassinets holding her babies and a huge wave of emotions passes over her. Being able to watch both of her babies sleep peacefully, she’s glad that they each have a built-in best friend and aren’t going to be an only child for the foreseeable future. She’s done the only child thing and it’s a bit overrated. She’s always wanted to have multiple kids, and now she got two in one go so she’s thinking she’s good for a while. Bellamy better not want to have any more kids in the next couple of years.

“Clarke, there are a few people here to see you if you’re ready?” She looks up when Bellamy speaks, his voice soft so as to not disturb the sleeping infants. He’s standing by the door to their hospital room, hair disheveled, shirt sleeves rolled up, and his bowtie unknotted and hanging loosely around his neck. His tuxedo jacket has since been discarded and now lays forgotten across the bench below the large window on the other side of the room. 

She smiles and nods. He returns the smile and then moves to open the door and let everyone inside. 

Clarke scoots up on the bed, wincing from the tenderness she still feels, as everyone files into the room and Bellamy pulls the door closed behind him. They all form a sort of semi-circle at the foot of the bed, Bellamy coming to stand beside her, each one grinning from ear to ear as they greet everyone. 

Clarke takes a second to look between all of their friends and family, her smile faltering when she notices that Marcus is standing alone slightly off to the side. He looks happy but she can see how tired he really is. How tired they all probably are.

“Marcus, my mom?” she asks hopefully.

He smiles sadly at her and steps closer to the bed. “She’s uh...she’s not coming. I’m sorry, Clarke. I tried to talk to her about it, but she said she just couldn’t. She just needs time, I think.”

“Time. Right.” She smiles bitterly and focuses her gaze on the sheets and blanket laid across her lap. She doesn’t want to be angry at her mother. It’s the last feeling she wants to have on such a special day, but she can’t help it. 

“So, how are you feeling?” It’s Raven’s voice that cuts through the fog and brings her back to the present. 

“Oh you know, a little tired and sore, of course. But, happy. Really happy.” Clarke reaches over on the last word to take Bellamy’s hand in hers, smiling tearfully up at him when he grins down at her.

Murphy speaks next from his spot between Raven and Emori, “And the twins...they’re okay?”

Bellamy nods. “Yeah. Both are doing fine. They’re in the nursery right now sleeping.”

“And you have names for them?” Marcus asks.

The new parents share a look and then Clarke looks back at their friends. “Aiden Michael and Aurora Renee.”

Octavia sucks in a sharp breath and tears instantly spring to her eyes. Her wide eyes dart from Bellamy to Clarke and then back to her brother. Her lips part slightly and she lets out a shaky breath. “Aurora?”

“After mom.”

She lets a tear fall and then rushes forward to wrap her arms around her big brother, her tears now soaking through his dress shirt. He holds her in his arms, squeezing tight and resting his chin on the top of her head. She sniffles a few times and then slowly pulls away, craning her neck up to look Bellamy in the eyes. 

“She’d be so happy. For both of you.”

He doesn’t try and fight back the tears threatening to spill over and smiles down at her. “I know. I love you, O.”

Octavia laughs and pulls him back in for another hug. “I love you too.”

***

Twelve hours later, they’re strapping the newborns into their car seats, both of them asleep without a care in the world. Bellamy gazes lovingly down at their sweet little faces, his heart filling with more and more joy the longer he looks at them. It’s strange for him to be in such a vulnerable position. He’s not used to it. He’s not used to having any responsibilities other than caring for Octavia. But now everything has changed. He’s a father now. A father of two adorable and sweet innocent lives who have known nothing but love since they first arrived. A father who never intended to be a father in the first place, but now that he is one, he wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

He presses a kiss to each of their wrinkly little foreheads and then secures the seatbelts before closing the door and climbing in the driver's seat. 

“Are you ready to do this?”

He looks over to find Clarke smiling brightly at him from the passenger seat, her hand laying palm up on the console between them. She wiggles her fingers at him and he lays his hand on top of hers, their fingers lacing together. 

“Yeah. I’m ready.”

Her smile brightens. “Then let's do this.”

He returns the smile, fastens his seatbelt, and then starts up the engine. Putting the car in drive, they slowly pull out of the parking lot and down the road towards the rest of their lives. 


End file.
